United We Stand
by mckeown
Summary: Megatron was a gladiatorial slave, why would he condone any type of slavery? The Cybertron War is more than it appears, but neither side has any inkling to the other's point-of-view until the yellow scout Bumblebee gets bot-napped. An innocent mission to find energon mounts into more than either side can handle alone, they must unite or fall. Rated T for dark parts. 30,000 HITS!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: First attempt at a Transformer fic, hope I've got it. **

Bumblebee whistled happily as he drove through West Virginia's mountain range. Ratchet had ground bridged him and Bulkhead to the small state in the early morning, letting both young 'bots enjoy the fog that covered the mountains. The sun's rays could barely break through the clouds so the day remained gray and filled with fog.

The computer back at the base had picked up faint energon energy emitting from West Virginia, not enough to be of interest to the _Nemesis_ but the Autobots certainly could use every drop they could find. Optimus had sent Bumblebee and Bulkhead to investigate and bring back what they could find. However, once they entered the mountain range Bumblebee and Bulkhead found that they could only communicate with each other via their short-range communications, all they got was static when they tried to connect with the base in Nevada.

"Must be the mountains, Bee," Bulkhead said, "maybe when we get out of this fog we can reach Ratchet again."

[**Yeah, maybe**,] Bumblebee beeped. [**Let's find that energon quickly though, it's not good to be without communication with the base.]**

"I agree, B, let's go."

The two Autobots navigated their way carefully through the fog, their headlights on full. They had to pull off the main road and transform when the energon signal lead into the trees.

{Back at Autobot Base}

"Any word yet, Ratchet?" Raf asked, standing on the platform reserved for the humans so that they were out of the way but could also see what was happening. Jack and Miko were playing a video game, glancing over at him before they returned to the TV.

"Not yet, Rafael," Ratchet said, "but I'm not worried. The mountains of West Virginia are not known for their great communication service. Of course, if I had more state-of-the-art equipment, like we had back on Cybertron, it wouldn't be an issue."

"Ratchet," Optimus Prime turned from where he had been talking to Arcee, "we all appreciate your tremendous efforts in everything you have managed to do since we came to Earth. We certainly do not hold a faulty communication line against you."

"Hmph!" Ratchet turned back to his computer, making it look like he was tinkering the systems but really there was nothing more he could do. Ratchet hated not being to keep tabs on his team, the need for energon had made it necessary to disable the two Autobots' signals so that the _Nemesis_ would not be able to pick them up.

While it had been a necessary move Ratchet just hoped that it would not come back to haunt him.

{West Virginia}

The two Autobots had neared the energon signal and were both containing themselves from dancing with joy. Soon, very soon, they would have fuel again.

"Alright, B!" Bulkhead said, his grin conveying his happiness. "We're almost on top of the energon."

Bumblebee chirped happily and then glanced quickly to the left, thinking he saw something. Of course it was next to impossible to see through the fog but just for a moment he thought… [**Bulkhead**—]

A blast of blue electricity spread out towards them, so quickly that neither 'bot had time to run. Bumblebee watched in alarm as his systems froze up and Bulkhead yelled out "EMP!" before the large Autobot fell to the forest floor. Bumblebee followed his partner, his systems off-lining and just before his optics closed he heard, "Take the smaller one, he'll be easier to transport,", then darkness claimed him as his body was forced to shut down.

**AN: Oh no! Who did this? Why do they want Bumblebee? Review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks to Stitchar for the first review, hope I keep you hooked!**

Everyone at the Autobot base sighed with relief when they heard Bulkhead's communication signal come through. A pleasant feeling that was, however, short-lived.

"_Ratchet! Ratchet! Bee's gone, some kind of power surge, an EMP I think, knocked us both out and when I came to he was gone_!"

"Calm down, Bulkhead," Ratchet ordered. "Talk to me, what happened? Did you find the energon? Where's Bumblebee?"

The human children had abandoned their video game when they heard Bulkhead's panicked voice, now they stood by the railing, watching with big eyes. Raf was trying his best not to scream at Ratchet to get answers quick, Bumblebee was his guardian and closest friend, and the last time the yellow Autobot had been hurt it had been a hard time for both of them.

"_There is no energon! An EM pulse knocked us both out! Bumblebee is gone_!"

"Ratchet," Optimus stepped forward, "fire up the ground bridge. Arcee, you're coming with me."

"We get to come too, right?" Miko asked, already heading for the stairs.

"If any of you children so much as move off that platform I will glue you to the ceiling!" Ratchet snapped, his words making the humans and other Autobots freeze.

Miko held up her hands as she backed up, "Hey, hey, it's cool Ratch." She quickly ducked behind Jack's taller frame while Raf took hold of the railing to clearly show that he was not moving.

"Just find Bumblebee," the little boy said and Arcee smiled at him as she followed Optimus through the ground bridge.

{Bridge of the Nemesis}

Soundwave tilted his battle mask as he watched the data streams on the view screen. Another spike indicating ground bridge activity on the planet Earth, following the same projectile line as the first one several hours ago. Soundwave downloaded the data and then cross-referenced it, wondering if he should bring it to Lord Megatron's attention.

When the Intelligence Officer had first brought the ground bridge activity to Megatron, the Decepticon leader had told him to monitor the situation only. The energon deposit was very small, certainly not enough to entice the large armada of the Decepticons(who already had sufficient energon stored away), so Megatron did not begrudge a few gallons of the stuff to Prime's rag-tail crew. Certainly low fuel would reduce to the Autobots' fighting stamina, and Megatron did so love a good battle.

Soundwave calculated the situation and filed it away. If the ground bridge was the Autobots going back to their base then it would be pointless bringing it to Megatron's attention, wherever the Prime had his soldiers stationed was heavily shielded. However, Soundwave could not just let it go, there had been too many strange occurrences for him to do so.

First, there had been the lack of communication. The Autobots were a fairly chatty type, seeming to always have the need to be in the constant need to talk with one another, but the little state of West Virginia had been silent. He had calculated the odds of interference from the mountain range but then had dismissed it, the superior sensors of the Nemesis would have been able to pick up any radio length, even if it was full of static it would still register. Then he had picked up a signal, someone sending a message to an unknown location from the little state, his processor was currently hacking through the encryption codes that had been shoddily applied to the message. Analysis: Message sent in state of panic. The last puzzling thing was that the energon signal had disappeared sometime before the message had been sent. Conclusion: Still processing.

A ping alerted him to the message being deciphered. Soundwave played it through his inner audios before spinning quickly to where Megatron stood on the top platform of the bridge.

"Yes, Soundwave, what is it?"

Soundwave activated the screen on his battle mask, to show Megatron the stream of events. Beginning with the energon signal, the ground bridge activity, the disappearance of the energon signal, the message and then the second ground bridge.

"So, the yellow scout had disappeared." Megatron frowned, "None of my forces were involved in this so there is a third player. Starscream? Arachnid?"

Soundwave brought up the file on Breakdown, singling out the part of his capture by MECH.

"If the Autobot scout was taken by humans than that is Prime's problem, watching the noble Autobots fight the puny humans shall certainly be entertaining, if nothing else." Soundwave turned to leave. "Soundwave, monitor the situation and keep me apprised of any developments, no matter how insignificant they may look." Soundwave nodded and left, Megatron turned to look at the view screens, "There may be more going on any of us realize."

{Location Unknown} — **AN: Well, known to me anyway, not to you **

Bumblebee onlined but kept his optics shuttered as he moaned in pain. His systems tingled, kind of like that 'pins and needles' feeling Raf had described to him. He quickly ran a self-diagnostic, wanting to know what the damage was before he thought of moving.

**Energon Levels**: Medium.

**Nervous System**: Recovering from EMP.

**All Plating**: Intact.

**Wiring**: Intact.

**Lower Port**: Open.

Bumblebee froze and felt out through his systems, his lower port was open and every command to close it went ignored. He trembled, that port was used for expelling bad fuel or the cleansing fluid after it ran through his systems. None of which he had inside him now so why was it open? A glitch perhaps? If it was than that was embarrassing, there was no way Bulkhead would let this slide.

Bulkhead. Yes, Bulkhead, where was he?

Bumblebee opened his optics and looked up at the dark ceiling in confusion. He was not in the medbay back at base, and he was sure he was not in the _Nemesis_ either. Then where was he?

"He's active." The strange voice came from his left and Bumblebee turned to see many humans, dressed in black rubber suits, watching him. Kind of like how he watched that trail of ants the other day as they carried food back to their hill.

"Very good, commence the procedure." Bumblebee titled his head back quickly, his spark sinking as he saw Silas standing on a platform behind him.

Movement above him made him look up to see a cable, with a very pointy end, descend toward him. Then, with more clarity than he would ever want, he realized why his port was open and he beeped and whirled angrily at the humans while he strained at the metal bonds holding him.

"Ignore him," Silas said, as some of the other humans looked concerned at the thrashing Autobot. "Continue."

Bumblebee gave up trying to talk to the humans, they could not understand anyway, and just watched in dread as the cable continued to descend. A man got on his chassis, intending to steer the cable to his port and Bumblebee did his best to rotate his hips so the cable would miss. The man grabbed hold of the cable and stabbed to the left of his port, scratching the plating and the sensitive wiring underneath. Bumblebee screamed, his processors overloading in pain as the cable was brought down again and again, each time failing to enter his port straight. Deep scratches appeared, energon leaking out and Bumblebee ceased his struggles, warbling in pain.

Finally the man brought the cable's spike directly into the 'bot's port and Bumblebee quickly felt the surge from the cable going through him. His systems blared in alarm, firewalls springing up to stop the incoming code that was being downloaded against his will. For a brief minute he hoped that his natural defenses would keep the virus out, something made by humans could certainly not destroy him, but his hope dissipated as his last firewall crashed.

The alien code spread through his systems and Bumblebee felt the control of his limbs slip away from him. His consciousness was being pushed back, a cage descending around him, and he acted quickly. They had shamed him, taken away his dignity and now his freedom, he had to preserve what privacy remained to him.

The humans jumped back as the yellow scout's battle mask snapped down into place, the release coding being locked to a medic's key only. Bumblebee had just enough energy to feel satisfaction at hiding his face when he felt the virus build the wall between himself and his body.

"Welcome to MECH, Stingray."


	3. Chapter 3

**Stitchar: Hope you stay excited, thanks for the review. Yes, I'm trying out the dark side and I like being subtle 'cause obvious things can get kind of boring after awhile.**

**Veail: Thanks for the review. I am trying really hard to keep the personalities true to form, and you're welcome **

**DBZKaifan: With one word you really conveyed a lot, glad I could 'wow' you and thanks for the review.**

{MECH H.Q.}

"Release the restraints," Silas ordered and Bumblebee saw the metal clasps detach from where they had pinned down his arms, legs and torso. He wanted to jump up and bring his blasters out to blow this place to pieces, but nothing happened. He was surprised that he could warble his distress but a snapped "Silence!" from Silas made him and everyone else in the room freeze.

"You will not speak, or make any of those noises you were making. Silence is a good virtue of a soldier, one who does not question orders but merely obeys instantly. Stand up." Bumblebee was horrified when his legs swung over the side and he stood up. "Your designation is Stingray, you will respond to no other name. You are a machine, programmed to do my bidding, you will only take orders from me. Acknowledge with a salute." Without the 'bot's permission his right arm snapped up to salute Silas. "Very good." Silas tilted his head, his eyes running up and down Bumblebee's frame, causing the Autobot to shudder inwardly. Walk forward five steps."

The next hour passed with Bumblebee's body responding to whatever Silas ordered him to do, and the man discovered that he had to be specific in his instructions. Telling the tall mech to shoot produced nothing, Silas had to order him to transform his hands into blasters before then telling him to shoot the targets. The human realized that by stripping the Autobot of its consciousness he had also reduced it being unable to do anything without being told to. While this might have its disadvantages, Silas was very pleased with the end result and ordered the 'bot to shift to its vehicle mode.

Bumblebee had been banging himself against his prison for the better part of an hour, trying in vain to break the walls of code that separated him from his body. How could humans come up with this technology to reduce a Cybertronian to nothing more than one of Earth's non-sentient machinery? Mind exhausted from the traumatic events it had undergone, Bumblebee shifted into his alt mode and was glad that his port was no longer visible to the humans. They had not ordered him to close it and so he had been helpless and shamed by moving around in humiliation. A Cybertronian never opened his or her port in front of anyone, when one expelled from his tank it was done out of sight of others. It was not only a matter of privacy but dignity as well, as bad as torture got from Interrogation officers on both sides it was universally acknowledged that some systems were just not tampered with.

Bumblebee was surprised that his frame could flinch as Silas climbed into him and sat in the driver's seat. While his limbs obeyed Silas' orders his nervous system conveyed the 'bot's feelings and his feeling of revulsion as Silas touched him made his frame shiver.

Silas grinned as he ran a hand over the steering wheel, feeling a shuddering beneath his palms. He could probably order the robot not to do that but the power of the Autobot's fear was just so intoxicating. Let it keep something, let it hope that there was a chance it could break free some day.

"You're mine now," Silas said, pinching the steering wheel and feeling the metal beneath him jerk. "I own you. I've taken everything away from you, but it's only the beginning. Soon you will be battle tested, you will do as I say, kill who I tell you to. Human, robot, it won't matter, you will be helpless to stop me." Silas moved a panel aside, exposing the wires and grabbed them, grinning as he felt them twist under his hard grasp. The robot was revolted by his touch, he could still make it feel pain and he laughed.

Curious, Silas drew his nails across the leather seat, not caring to hide the vicious smile that crossed his face as the car shuddered. "I think I just found a few more uses for you, and punishments should you ever fail a mission. Do you remember a big blue mech, red eyes?" Bumblebee froze within his prison, was the human speaking of Breakdown? "We learned quite a bit from him, and that flyer, but it was the robot we found a few months ago that really opened the gateways for us. Thing crashed in Alaska years ago, discovered by accident and we swept in to claim it. Took it apart," Silas leaned back as he spoke, his nails of one hand scratching and gripping the leather seat while his other hand rubbed the wires and pinched them. "We discovered so many of your secrets, access panels and you valuable spark but the best thing," the robot was shaking beneath him, unable to stop itself from reacting to his touches, "we found was how everything you know, everything that makes you what you are, is built on codes and programs. You can download data like any of our machines; learn something knew in less than a second by simply uploading the required file. But your base coding, the controls for your body, like our machines, can be changed with the right algorithm to do so." Silas grinned as his hands moved faster up the seat and down the wires, "We call it the 'slave program', an algorithm that can separate your consciousness from your body and leave us in charge. It took quite a few tries to perfect but you are the end result and look how well you succumbed to me." Silas' hands harshly gripped the seat and wires, grinning madly as the seat vibrated Bumblebee's horror. "My Stingray."

Silas got out, deeply satisfied, and Bumblebee twitched at his lingering touch.

" Richards," the MECH leader called, a lean man came over to him and Silas handed him a piece of paper. "Here, this is what I want the new colors to be, can't have that eye-catching yellow on important missions now, can we?" Silas turned back to Bumblebee after Richards had moved off, "I'm going to wipe everything off of you that made you an Autobot. Optimus Prime values human life does he? Well, a new paint job and you," he ran a hand over the hood, "Stingray, will show those molly-coddling Autobots what a real soldier does to succeed. I almost want to be inside you so I can feel how you feel when you kill your first human."

A last pat and Silas walked away, making room for the paint crew. Bumblebee's spark stuttered, the little scout was beyond horrified at the human's implications. He could not kill a human, even now he only wanted to maim Silas to within an inch of his life but now kill him. Killing was a foreign concept to Bumblebee, he had not even wanted to kill Magatron when the Decepticon ripped his voice box out, only pound him with everything he had. Optimus Prime had sheltered him in the regard of taking a life, he had never been put in that situation before as the Autobot leader had not wanted someone so young to carry such a burden.

"_No matter who, or the situation, you will always remember the life you cut short_."

Bumblebee sunk on his tires, remembering Prime's words and hoping with his entire spark that his fellow Autobots found him before Silas forced him to take a life.

The scout was brought out of his misery by the sound of a lid popping. Bumblebee saw the black paint and was unable to move away as it was applied to his body.

**AN: This chapter took a little long 'cause Silas scared even me. What do you think Bumblebee's new color scheme will be? Any thoughts or ideas on where this is going or what you'd like to happen, maybe a favorite character chow up?**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: First up, you guys are awesome and in response to all the reviews I was motivated to write the next chapter ahead of schedule. **

**To ME, Stitchar, Witch08: I took into account your ideas for the paintjob, hope you like. **

**Twistedstorm: welcome and thanks for the review, and I'll certainly try to keep up the good work.**

**DBZKaifan: **

**TransformersBeeFan: Thanks for the review, and yes I'm kinda surprising myself with how well this is turning out. What mistakes? Please point them out to me so I can fix them, though do take into account that I am changing a few things about the Transformers 'cause that's the fun of fanfiction. **

**Witch08: Wow, that's a lot of characters, I'm going to say that I'm most likely not going to bring all those guys in, some of them I'm not familiar with. Since I've set this in Transformers Prime universe I'm trying to stay true to that but I will bring in a couple more guys 'cause that series needed more on the Autobot side. Femmes, hmm, have to give that a thought.**

**Stitchar: Silas scared me too. Definitely going to be trauma for Bumblebee 'cause next chapter will not be pretty, warning you guys right now.**

They had scraped the Autobot insignia off. That, more than the paintjob, had bothered him, and it had hurt. Bumblebee was sorely reminded, though it was easy to forget, that the human race was just like the Cybertronians; capable of good and bad. The symbol they had used to replace wherever his affiliation insignia had been made him had freaked the little Autobot out.

Now, instead of the symbol of the sleeping guardian, a grotesque image adorned Bumblebee. It was an eagle with two snakes wrapped around its body, their bodies ready to strike at the bird's head. It was a weird twist of the American military symbol, Bumblebee was not completely ignorant of who Silas was more interested in getting the better of. Agent Fowler had given them all a debriefing of Silas, or Leland Bishop, after their first encounter with the crazed human when they had helped their liaison move the DNGS.

Leland Bishop had not taken his discharge from the military well and had vowed vengeance. Every encounter with MECH showed Silas' obsession with bringing a new world order to Earth, and punishing severely all those who got in his way. In some ways he was like Megatron, Bumblebee supposed, wanting to change the current regime for a system more to his liking.

Bumblebee had seen various different colors while the men had been painting him and so he was pretty sure that he would hate his new paintjob. They had first painted him black and then used dark blue and even a little red. Without being able to get an external look at himself while still in alt mode, Bumblebee could do nothing more than metaphorically twiddle his thumbs as he had so often seen Raf do while his little human friend waited for something to load on his laptop.

Raf. Bumblebee's spark ached at the mere thought of his little ward, who had become more than a responsibility since that first day he had seen Raf while helping Arcee fight those two Vehicons under the bridge. He could still see those big brown eyes, too scared to move yet still yelling at the Vehicons to leave 'Bee alone just when they were about to snuff out his spark. The little human boy had understood him, not needing a translator like the Autobots had built into their heads so they could decipher his different beeping tones.

Guardian and ward had each given each other a scare a time or two since their first meeting. Each had grown stronger and learned to lean on one another for support instead of keeping everything bottled up inside. Now, with everything that had made Bumblebee unique and valued being taken away by Silas the Autobot found that his memory of Raf was the only thing untainted. The child was the one thing Silas did not know about, since the man had only had contact with Jack, so MECH could never use Raf against him.

The opening of a door sounds through Bumblebee's audios and his sensors pick up Silas. The man has degraded him in almost every way imaginable, changed him and threatened to destroy his Autobot beliefs. Bumblebee wished he could find a way to wipe the smug look off of Silas' face but could do nothing but wait for a command.

"Much better," Silas said approvingly. "Stingray transform."

Bumblebee's form shifted and he stood up. He caught sight of himself on one of the viewing screens and wished he could throw a tantrum worthy of an infuriated sparkling. While his entire frame had been painted black it was the dark blue that was the more dominant color, going over the black so that the darker color only appeared as a stripe here and there going down his arms and legs. His battle mask had dark red lines shaped to give him a more sinister appearance. Bumblee had been right: he hated it. The color scheme made him look depressed, dark and angry, the complete opposite of his personality.

Being the youngest of the Autobots on Earth Bumblebee had always held the role of 'lightening the mood'. His constant energy and willingness to joke around to make others laugh had been infectious at the Autobot base, the only time he ever became serious was when a comrade died or if he was in a battle zone. Even then he would grab the opportunity to play a prank on the Decepticons if he could, a habit Ratchet said that he had picked up from the Twins.

"I wonder," Silas tilted his head, an action Bumblebee now recognized as not a good sign. "Is there a possibility we could change his eye color?"

"We would have to test with the eye sockets we got from the other one before I could give you definite answer, sir."

"It's not a priority but do look into it." Silas circled Bumblebee, before standing in front of him again. "Was the audio receiver installed?"

"Yes, sir. You can now give him orders no matter how far away you are."

Bumblebee did not like the sound of that but Silas was pleased.

"Very good. Stingray, return to vehicle mode." Bumblebee transformed back into his vehicle mode and twitched as Silas ran a hand over his frame. Silas grinned and turned to his men, "It's time for a test run."

{Autobot H.Q.}

"Optimus, I have pinpointed the _Nemesis'_ location." Ratchet reported, earning everyone's attention when he spoke. "Its orbit is now taking it past Russia."

"Are we sure that they took Bumblebee?" Arcee asked.

"Who else could it be?" Bulkhead demanded.

"Arcee has a point," Optimus said. "Why take Bumblebee but leave you behind? However, as searching the Nemesis is our only option at this point we will take it and if we cannot find our missing comrade than we can at least find out what has kept the Decepticons quiet this long."

While the Autobots prepared to disembark they did not notice that Raf slipped away from them. The smaller human ignored the elevator in preference of climbing up one of the ladders that led to the top of the hidden silo. Once outside Raf sat down to watch the setting sun.

He had done what he could to help Ratchet find the _Nemesis_, now the rest was up the Autobots. Raf drew his legs in, circling his arms around them and buried his head in his knees. He'd been very proud of himself with how well he had been keeping his emotions in check since Bumblebee had gone missing.

Only when he was away from the others had he allowed himself to cry. Bumblebee was his friend, his guardian, and he had saved his life more times then Raf had fingers. Yet at this time, when Raf could return the favor, he found himself helpless to do so. There were no leads, the area where Bumblebee had been taken had been cleaned thoroughly, which had made him think that perhaps it was not the Decepticons who had taken the yellow scout. Megatron certainly would not have cared whether his people left signs behind nor would he have cared if the Autobots had found out that he had taken Bumblebee. Plus take into account that both the Autobots and Decepticons seem to fight shy if using any type of EMP device against each other, the possibility of themselves being taken out as well in the blast was just too high to use it.

Raf felt the ground beneath him tremble, signaling the activation of the ground bridge. He had been the one who had originally raised the question of Decepticon involvement in Bumblebee's kidnapping when Ratchet had asked him for help in finding the _Nemesis_. Raf had been surprised when Arcee had raised the issue again, after Ratchet and Bulkhead had so firmly put Raf's observations down the first time.

Sighing, Raf leaned his head back and froze when he looked up into the sky. There were two flaming objects heading down towards him and he wasted no time in jumping to his feet. His short legs could have won him a marathon with how quickly they carried him back into the safety of the hatch and he hit the alarm.

**AN: What could Silas possibly have in store for Bumblebee? Whatever it is, you can be sure it won't be good, poor little 'bot. Anyway, I'm going to bring in at least two more Autobots so voting lanes are now open, let me know who you want to see and the ones with the most votes will appear. **

**AN: What really makes my day is that you guys are actually reading my notes, getting these chapters out to you guys as fast as possible is my way of saying thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Pandalonger: Welcome, thanks for the review.**

**ME: You got my name right, **

**Stitchar: Why the Autobots don't think of MECH will be explained, though you get close on how since they're human the Autobots would underestimate them.**

**Veail: Don't worry, Knock Out will make an appearance, I really liked his character in Transformers Prime.**

**Ghost-writer-88: Thanks for the review, glad you like it so far. And yes, that's why I chose MECH because I feel they could have been more of a threat in Transformers Prime than they actually were.**

**AN: There will be some stuff later on in this chapter that's kind of graphic, just remember that Bee is not human, thanks.**

Bumblebee stealthily moved towards the air base. Silas had ordered him to make no sound while he broke into the base and downloaded the hard drive. The human was safely back at his base, watching through a spy cam attached to Bumblebee's battle mask. With orders delivered through the link in his audios, Bumblebee's body followed Silas' directions as he sneaked around the base.

Bumblebee himself could do nothing to warn the many human guards that he slipped past. The Autobot scout was not foolish to believe that all of Silas' missions for him would be as quiet as this one, no, the human merely wanted to test him out. The next missions would be more demanding, more destruction would be involved and there would be loss of life. Unless the Autobots found him.

Optimus Prime had the whole team looking for him by now and soon they would find him. MECH had made more than enough mistakes in the past during their confrontations with both the Autobots and the Decepticons, Silas may have been a smart human but Bumblebee knew that Cybertronian brains could sift through information a lot faster than humans could. Yes, it was only a matter of time before the Autobots found him.

"_Second building on your right_," Silas' voice purred in his audios, sending an unpleasant thrumming through his systems. His body was ready to jump to obey every word Silas said, eagerly waiting for each command; it sickened him. "_Stingray, crouch_." Bumblebee did so, avoiding the sweeping light overhead. "_Proceed to target in crouched form_."

Bumblebee watched from within his prison as his body silently moved forward. There, he was at the building, "_Open the top window and reach in with your right hand for the main frame_," his arm obeyed, latching onto the fragile piece of human technology gently. "_Now, download hard drive_." Cables attached to his fingers and his optics dimmed as the information from the air base was downloaded into the memory banks.

The little scout could not see anything of special importance to Silas. The base held no top secrets, no new types of weaponry; in short they appeared to be no threat to Silas or MECH at all. What was the point in downloading information Silas already had to know?

"_Very good, Stingray_." That voice! Bumblebee had watched enough Earth movies to know that when the bad guy used that voice there was more in store than what was expected. "_Transform into vehicle mode_."

Bumblebee was confused as his body obeyed. No matter how hard one could try there was no way to shift into an alt mode without making noise. Sure enough there were voices yelling as he changed into his alt mode, lights springing on and swirling in his direction.

"_Drive at full speed back to MECH H.Q_." Bumblebee's engine revved to life and his tires screeched a black stretch across the asphalt. By the time the soldiers gathered Bumblebee was breaking through the metal fence and leaving a smell of burnt rubber in his wake as he tore down the road.

"_Well done, Stingray, I'll be sure to reward you after your debriefing_."

Bumblebee did not like the sound of that, not one bit. Unless Silas meant a cup on energon as his reward, now that he would not pass up since his tank was getting low. Yes, it was probably energon that Silas meant to give him, how else was Silas supposed to 'reward' him?

Two hours later Bumblebee passed the security check point for MECH H.Q. Pulling into an abandoned warehouse Bumblebee came to a stop and the floor moved beneath him, an elevator taking him to the ground levels below. Bumblebee wished he knew what state he was in; somewhere in the north at least judging by temperature but not having seen any state signs it had to be one of the big ones.

"Welcome back Stingray," Silas said, his hands behind his back as he surveyed the car pulling into the room. "Transform to bipedal mode." Bumblebee obeyed, standing before MECH's group of scientists who gazed up at him with eager anticipation. It was then that Bumblebee noticed a very familiar cable lying on a table next to the computers.

Mentally he pulled away, remembering the last time he had seen that cable and what it had done. But physically he did not move, trapped to every one of Silas' whims. "Look at it, gentlemen. A perfect piece of machinery, able to store more data than any one of our computers and housing an impressive field of weaponry as well. The mission was a success, which means we can move onto much larger targets without any fears of the program being overrun."

"Sir," one of the scientists said, "should we have a paint touch-up for those scrapes?"

Silas looked at where the metal gate and scraped against the paint and shook his head. "No, leave them, they're battle scars now. Let's wrap this up and get ready for tomorrow. Stingray, take that cable and jam it into your lower port."

_No_! Bumblebee mentally screamed even as his hand closed around the cable. He thrashed against the wall of code, banging and shouting with all his might. They could not do this to him again! They could not make him do this to himself! _No! _For a second Bumblebee thought that his hand hesitated but it was must have been his imagination for the cable was pushed into his port without any care to damage.

The spike scraped against his inner wall as it connected, making his optics flare as the pain registered. It was not fair! If he could not control his body then he should not be able to feel as well! But feel he did, even the small stream of energon that spilled from the wound and flowed out from around the cable to hit the floor.

One of the scientists gasped, "Sir, shouldn't we use the port at the back of the head?"

Silas turned to the speaker with a raised eyebrow, "Are you afraid that we're hurting its feelings, Leonards? It is a robot, a machine like all the others in this room. That access port is ideal for it to reach so that we don't have to have it lay down after every mission for a download. Stingray, download the air base's files into the empty hard drive now."

One of the humans monitoring the screen let them know when the download was complete. "Good. Stingray, turn the cable and pull it out."

Bumblebee mind echoed with his groans as the cable scrapped against him and his hand pulled it out.

"Stingray, transform into vehicle mode." While the scout was obeying the order Silas turned to the scientists. "Go through the information we received and prepare for tomorrow's mission." Silas opened Bumblebee's driver door and got in. "Stingray, start engine and let me drive." Bumblebee winced at the hard grip on his steering wheel as Silas drove him to another large room.

Smiling, Silas leaned back in the seat and slipped off his gloves. Bumblebee groaned as he felt those iron nails scrape against the leather seat, his nervous system trembling as the sensitive parts of the Autobot were handled. "Do you know why I'm doing this?" Silas asked as he opened a section so he could reach the tender wiring beneath. "Because I know you're in there, your body may be mine but your mind is still yours." The wires vibrated with fear beneath his squeezing fingers. "I'm not going to do anything to erase your consciousness though because I want you to feel this," Silas grinned as he felt the seat tremble. "Your fear is intoxicating, such a big, strong robot afraid of me, the power you give me! I will use you against yourself," a rhythm established Silas taunted his unwilling accomplice, "I will break you. I will make you hate yourself, no matter what form you are you will never be free of me, and you will wish that you really were Stingray, the emotionless MECH robot. You will curse the Autobots, your race and you will hate humans. After you kill the first ten you won't even regret it, because you'll justify it as stopping others from turning into me. I could probably even give you control of your body back at that point and you'd still do everything I told you to, but I won't. Because. You. Are. Mine." The wires were fiercely tugged, sending a shock of pain tingling through Bumblebee and he flinched as Silas finally climbed out of him.

"Transform into bipedal mode." Bumblebee was still shaking; the wires Silas had pulled needing more time to recover. "Stingray, you will move all of those crates, slowly to the other side of the room. That will keep you busy tonight and I will return in the morning for your next mission."

Silas left the room and Bumblebee's body went to work. Inside Bumblebee was panicked, was Silas seriously not going to let him recharge? His tank was already low on energon and a night without recharge would not be good for his systems at all. But perhaps this would be a good thing, once he burned through his energon he would not be able to be sent out on missions. He would not be able to hurt anybody.

While his body worked Bumblebee drew himself together. If his body could not rest than at least his mind could. Shoving out everything that Silas had done, Bumblebee drew his memories of Raf around him like a blanket and let the comfort him. If Silas was serious about his plan, and given how things had gone so far he most likely was, then Bumblebee would need to keep his sanity and the only way to do that was hold tight the one thing that really mattered to him. Raf. The little human who had become like a brother to him, oh how he wished he was back at base and playing a raving game with his friend right now!

**Voting Status: **

**Blurr: 2**

**Twins: 1**

**Surprise me: 1**

**AN: Come on, guys, vote! Also, apologies if I freaked anyone out, this chapter is a little creepy isn't it?**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Wow, I got twelve reviews in one day, you guys are amazing! Just a little fyi, I wrote this chapter while my nephew and I threw foam lightsabers at each other.**

**Ghost-writer-88: There are two doors to the lower port, one is the outside one and the other is on the tank to be opened for expulsion, otherwise Bumblebee's tank would have lost all his energon once he stood in chapter three. The lower port can also be used in case of emergencies, should the upper port be too damaged to access. Silas uses it to degrade Bumblebee and keeps the outer door of the lower port open to further the Autobot's humiliation. **

**Twistedstorm: Yeah, it is getting dark and creepy, and it's only going to get worse before it gets better. Glad you're hooked. Also, thanks for the vote.**

**Longlivepandas: Thanks for your review, sorry I freaked you out, I freaked myself out but I figure there's no other way to depict evil than really depicting evil. Bad guys will use anything they can to reach their goals, no matter how wrong or immoral it is. Thanks for your review**

**Pandalonger: like your idea and thanks for voting.**

**Tamersten: Welcome and thanks for the review and your vote.**

**Stitchar: Thanks for the long review, you're spot on with stuff. But things won't get better for Bumblebee yet.**

**Igeegeei: Thanks for the review and your vote.**

**ME: Will take your ideas into account, thanks.**

**AN: To everyone else, thanks for your reviews and your votes, I'll post the results at the bottom of the chapter. **

{Meanwhile, pt.1}

Ratchet opened the ground bridge on the _Nemesis_ and the Autobots rushed through it. They had chosen to appear near the storage rooms in the lower deck, since these were close the holding cells. Optimus hoped that they would be able to grab Bumblebee quickly and get off the ship without entering a large confrontation with the Decepticons. Although with the high security that Soundwave ran it was highly unlikely, Optimus still felt the need to be optimistic(get it?) about the situation.

Arcee led point, with Optimus behind her and Bulkhead picking up the rear. The blue motorcycle was tense, more on edge than the others, Bumblebee and herself were usually partners on missions. The younger mech's lighter frame had been better equipped to keep up with the femme's speed that bulkhead's bulky(there I go again) form or Optimus' huge, thundering frame. Bumblebee was like a brother, an annoying one who would not leave you alone until he got you to laugh or smile. The yellow scout was one of the few who saw through Arcee's brave exterior, which she put forth whenever she was an emotional wreck; like when Cliffjumper died.

Her old partner had died on the _Nemesis_, and Arcee feared the ship more than she let on to the rest. While Starscream was no longer a member of the Decepticon army this fact did nothing to alleviate Arcee's tension. She had seen Megatron snuff a few sparks of the Autobot faction on Cybertron, and then there were his days in the gladiator ring. However, while Starscream would act out in anyway that pleased him Megatron never did anything without a purpose. If the Decepticons had gone through so much trouble to take Bumblebee alive than Megatron was not about to crush him so quickly. There was still hope.

The Autobots moved in formation down the hallway, doing their best to keep quiet. None of them were expecting an easy time navigating the _Nemesis'_ corridors but they were confident that they could handle any threat quickly without raising too many alarms. When the two Vehicons turned the corner and stood before them the Autobots racted quickly while the Decepticons froze in surprise.

Arcee dodged to the side, firing her blasters while Optimus moved to the other side and Bulkhead stepped forward. Their added firepower downed the two Vehicons in seconds, their bodies hitting the deck with echoing thumps and the Autobots quickly moved forward.

Arcee scanned the hallway the Vehicons had come from and saw no one. Optimus opted( ) to go the other way, since they all knew that where there were two Vehicons there could be more. The Autobots continued on their way, but with a little more haste than before.

The hallway they took led to the cells and the Autobots wasted no time in checking each one. They had only managed to check five cells before a loud drumming of footsteps alerted them to the fact that many Decepticons were approaching them. Quickly Optimus and Bulkhead took up defensive positions while Arcee raced for the next cell,

Vehicons came rushing around the bend, opening fire without hesitation. Since Prime's and Bulkhead's armor were thicker than your average Cybertronian they could take a larger beating and so were able to fend off the Decepticons' assault.

The Vehicons ran forward, shooting and dodging enemy fire as much as the Autobots were. Optimus and Bulkhead were soon fighting hand-to-hand and Arcee was forced to fight along with them as the Decepticons outnumbered them greatly. At first the Autobots were holding their own, and wiping the deck with the Vehicons, but that changed when Dreadwing and Megatron made their way through the ranks.

"Prime!" Megatron growled, leaving the other two Autobots for Dreadwing to handle while he tackled Optimus.

"Megatron." No other words were spoken as the two leaders clashed, foregoing guns in favor of using sheer force to overpower the other.

The Vehicons hung back, cutting off escape routes while the two higher class Decepticons fought the Autobots. Dreadwing may have been taller than Bulkhead and Arcee but he also had grace and skill that made Seekers the excellent fighters they were whether in the sky or on the ground. Bulkhead kept himself staying away from Dreadwing's sword while Arcee had to dodge the Seeker's free hand that was intent on grabbing her.

Feinting a move, Dreadwing waited till Arcee took the bait before he reversed course and grabbed her. Before Bulkhead could move in Dreadwing had dropped his sword to point a cannon at Arcee while his other hand kept a hard grip on her.

"Move, and she dies." Dreadwing said, and Bulkhead did not doubt him for a second.

Optimus and Megatron had traded blows back and forth, with neither side showing an ounce of weakening. Megatron knew that had Optimus not accepted the mantle of the primes the ex-gladiator could have easily beaten Orion Pax. Not that he would ever have wanted to, of course, the two had been the best of friends and had set out to change Cybertron for the better of their race. It was a vision Megatron had held onto, a vision he had seen crumble into dust when the scholar had returned from a meeting with the council wearing the upgraded frame and mantle of a prime.

When Optimus had lost his memory Megatron had not taken him simply to decode the Iacon database. Seeing his friend once again, Megatron, perhaps selfishly so, had grabbed him and wanted him as far away from the Autobots as possible. Not that those Autobots on Earth were evil but they fought for a cause they did not understand.

"My lord." Megatron and Optimus were locked in a grapple, but they both turned their heads to look in Dreadwing's direction. Vehicons held Bulkhead under guard while Arcee was still trapped in Dreadwing's grip, it was certainly a situation any Autobot would dread(I can't help it).

Megatron turned back to Optimus. "Stand down, Prime, your team is within grasp and they will die before you can save them."

"I will not surrender." Optimus said, and Megatron narrowed his eyes.

"I did not demand your surrender, only that you stand down in order to cease any more killing today. You are on my territory, Optimus, I deserve an explanation."

"Where's Bumblebee?" Bulkhead asked.

"Quiet," Optimus ordered, releasing his hold on Megatron and they both stood up straight.

"That is why you are here?" Megatron asked, "In search of your missing scout?"

"You know he's gone," Arcee said, ignoring Dreadwing's look of disapproval. "Where is he?"

Megatron surveyed them all before motioning to his Vehicons to cease blocking hallway. "Walk with me Optimus."

"What about—"

"They will come to no harm. I invoke a ceasefire between our groups for the duration of three hours. Walk with me." Megatron started down the hallway and Optimus followed, leaving Bulkhead and Arcee where they were.

Arcee twisted in Dreadwing's hold to look at Bulkhead. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Bulkhead said, and they went silent while the Decepticons glared at them.

Megatron opened every cell, showing Optimus that they were empty before he turned to the prime. "What reason would I have in abducting the little yellow one? The only valuable piece of information he holds is the location of your base, but frankly I have been too busy with more important matters than looking for your hiding place. Your scout is not here."

Optimus let his battle mask slide back, "Where else could he be, Megatron? You have not threatened the human population for several months now, what are you planning?"

Megatron grinned, "Nothing that concerns the humans I assure you Prime."

"You expect me to believe you?" Optimus asked, his suspicions heightened.

Megatron's easy manner disappeared and he drew himself up. "Go search for your scout among the race you like so much, Prime. Soudnwave, open a portal to the planet." No one spoke as a green swirl opened up to the side.

Dreadwing released Arcee and the Decepticons kept their blasters trained on the Autobots as they retreated to the portal. Optimus was the last through, turning back to look at Megatron. "If you're lying, Megatron, we shall return."

Megatron snarled, "Get off my ship."

**AN: Okay, given how this chapter is between the Autobots and the Decepticons let's split you guys up. It's time to show your colors, from now on when you review state your faction: Autobot or Decepticon. That way I'll see to which side this story appeals to more. **

**Votes:**

**Blurr: 5**

**Twins: 3**

**Jazz: 1**

**Mirage: 1**

**Surprise me: 1**

**Voting lane closed, thanks for your help and you know what? I'm going to throw in a surprise for you too.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Update, update, update! That's all I hear and wow does it make my day! So I got a couple of Neutrals, not sure what to do with you guys so I guess just stay on the fence until you're ready to pick a side.**

**Devine.L: Don't worry, Silas will die, any ideas on how?**

**Thunderweb: Thanks for the reviews! Who do you think will rescue Bumblebee?**

**AN: To everyone else, thanks for reviewing and picking a faction, you guys were two reviews away from breaking my record. Let's see if I can beat 12 reviews in one day with this chapter! **

{Meanwhile, pt.2}

Raf slid down the ladder, yelling at the top of his lungs for the Autobot medic. "Ratchet! Ratchet!"

"I see it Rafael, I see it!" Ratchet shouted back as Raf ran into the main room of the base.

"See what?" Miko asked, she and Jack having gone off to explore one of the storage rooms but abandoning that idea when the alarms sounded.

"Two pods entered Earth's atmosphere and are heading for the valley just beyond the base," Ratchet answered.

"Autobot or Decepticon?" Jack asked.

"Unknown at this time," Ratchet replied.

"Suh-weet!" Miko cried. "Is that how all your guys landed on the planet?"

They all turned to look at her with bemusement. "Miko," Jack said, "these aren't the first pods we've seen."

Miko punched him in the shoulder, "That you've seen, you mean! And those were already here, but now I get to see an actual landing!" She smiled, then frowned, "You know what would make this cooler? If I could watch it outside."

"Miko!" Ratchet turned, "You will stay inside!"

Miko groaned but Jack stopped her, "Weren't you listening to the part where we don't know if they're good or bad?"

"Oh, details," Miko huffed.

"Why can't you tell, Ratchet?" Raf asked, glad that there was something to distract him.

"Because Rafael they have deactivated their transmitters," Ratchet replied, tracking the pods' progress on the screens. "It's standard procedure when landing on a planet with both factions present, that way the other side won't be able to destroy the pods before the inhabitants have a chance to get out and run if need be."

"That makes sense." Raf tapped the keys on his laptop, "They'll be coming down on the other side of the base, away from the town."

"Yes, but I doubt the humans are oblivious to two flaming objects coming this way. If they are Autobots we'll have to move quickly to get those pods inside the base before the local law enforcement shows up."

The three human children and the Autobot medic became silent as they focused all their attention on the screens.

"Houston we have a landing!" Miko shouted jovially, as first one pod and then another landed with a shower of dirt in the Nevada desert.

"Uh, Ratchet," Raf said, "isn't that pod on the right bigger than the other pod?"

"Hmm," Ratchet enhanced the screen and measured both pods. "You're right, Rafael, it is."

"Ohh," Miko said, "is he going to be as big as Bulkhead? Maybe as tall as Optimus?"

"Bigger in width than length, Miko," Raf said.

"So as big as Bulkhead."

"Doubtful," Ratchet said, his eyes narrowing at the screen. "That type of pod is designed to carry two, not one."

'They're opening!" Raf said, and they all held their breath as each pod opened.

Ratchet saw the frame emerge from the pod on the left and sighed, "Well, I suppose it's good to see that he survived the war."

"Who, Ratchet? Who?" Miko asked impatiently.

"That blue one is Blurr, a young mech a little older than Bumblebee."

"What's wrong with that?" Jack asked, as Raf had ducked his head at the mention of his guardian.

"Nothing," Ratchet growled, "except that he talks too fast for anyone to understand him."

"Ratchet look!" Raf shouted, and the medic looked back at the screen to see what had caught the small human's attention.

"By the Allspark," Ratchet whispered, then he face-palmed. "Why does Primus wish to torment me?"

'What's that supposed to mean?" Miko asked. "You of all the 'bots' on base keep wanting more guys to help out!"

"Wanting someone to help is entirely different from getting someone who will cause nothing but trouble," Ratchet snapped back. "And trust me on this, there is no one more inclined to trouble and bringing chaos on an organized unit then them!" He stabbed a finger at the screen, "Those two don't care for orders or rules, and they decide what they're going to do and when and how they're going to do it! They prank left and right, and complain about their paintjob when it gets scratched up."

"And?" Miko asked, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

"And they have a nickname for me that if I catch any of you using you will be mopping this base for months!"

"Noted." Jack saluted, while Miko twirled her fingers mockingly and Raf was too intent on watching the screen.

"Now stay here while I go out and help them move those pods."

Ratchet took the back exit, since that was closer to the landing and transformed into his vehicle mode. He drove quickly to where the three mechs were and transformed again.

"Heymedicdoc!" Blurr yelled happily and Ratchet grumbled.

"Welcome to Earth. I will explain the situation later but right now we need to move these pods into the base before the humans arrive."

"I thought the humans were our allies, why are we hiding from them?"

"No time to explain." Ratchet snapped back and the three mechs helped him silently break down the pods and move them into the base.

Once inside the three newcomers blinked as they took in the three children standing on the platform. The blue mech bounced forward, crouching to get a good look at them.

'They'resosmall! I'veneverseenanythignsosmallexceptbabies! Aretheybabies? Howbigdotheygrow? CanIholdone?"

The other three mechs were silent as they took a few seconds to translate the words and the children just blinked in confusion. "Ugh," the yellow newcomer said. "You let these things crawl around base? They had better not get their squishiness on me."

"They are certainly different," the red one said. "Please tell me they get bigger."

Ratchet sighed, "Since these are children they will get taller, but Jack is almost to his full height. Blurr, unless they give permission you cannot hold one, and you two will be polite. These three are wards of the Autobots and, as much as I am loathe to admit it, they have helped us on more than one occasion."

Miko whistled, "Hello? We're right here you know?"

The yellow arrival recoiled, "It speaks!"

"Ratchet," said Jack, "are you going to introduce us?"

"Of course. Jack, Miko and Rafael, meet Blurr, the Twins: Sunstreaker and Sideswipe."

"Whereiseveryone,Ratchet? Where'sOptimus? Where'sBumblebee? What'sbeenhappening?" Blurr asked.

"Blurr!" Ratchet said, getting the blue mech to cease his jumping up and down. "Smokescreen and Wheeljack are on a deep space mission. Optimus, Arcee and Bulkhead are infiltrating the _Nemesis_ looking for Bumblebee."

"What happened to Bumblebee?' Sunstreaker and Sideswipe asked in unison.

"You really do act like twins!" Miko shouted. "Suh-weet!"

The Twins glanced at her briefly before looking back at Ratchet. "Bumblebee went missing after an EMP went off during a mission he and Bulkhead were on. Optimus and the others went to the _Nemesis_ to retrieve him."

Before the Twins could further interrogate Ratchet they heard a scraping sound and turned to the humans. The littlest one, Rafael, had pushed his chair back and was running down the stairs. "Raf!" Jack and Miko called but the boy ignored them and left the room.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Sideswipe.

Ratchet sighed, "Bumblebee is Rafael's guardian, the boy's not taking the separation well especially when we know so little as why Bumblebee was taken."

"Bumblebee'saguardian?" Blurr asked.

"Little B's a guardian?" Sideswipe asked, while Sunstreaker turned to look at the way Raf had run.

"Yes, they became very close, especially as Rafael is the only human who can understand Bumblebee's whistles and chirps."

"Let's go," said Sunstreaker, latching into Sideswipe's arm and pulling him towards the way Raf had gone.

"Now wait a minute!" Ratchet started forward, "Where are you two going?"

"You said the squishy was Bumblbee's ward," Sunstreaker said.

"Which makes him family," Sideswipe pointed out.

"Very well," Ratchet sighed, "but if you two hurt Rafael I'll turn you into scrap metal."

"Yes, Hatchet!" The Twins said and then they quickly left.

"Don't call me that!"

Blurr turned to the remaining humans, "So,canIholdyou?"

**Decepticons: 4**

**Autobots: 1**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Wow, over 50 reviews!**

**Thanks, "Guest", for your review. And to other "Guest" for review, unless you're the same person but you didn't leave a name so I'm not sure.**

**Cape Magician: Welcome and thanks for the review. I'm glad I have your attention and don't worry, Raf won't get hurt…I think.**

**MidnightBloom14: Yes, I brought the Twins in together 'cause it didn't make much sense to me in the second Transformers movie that Sideswipe was alone. They're Twins, they work best together, so thanks for the review and enjoy.**

**AN: To all others, thanks your reviews and picking a side.**

{Back to Bumblebee, in MECH H.Q.}

Bumblebee held his imaginary breath as Silas commanded him to lie down on the table. A scientist climbed over him, coming towards his head and Bumblebee found the urge to want power over his limbs to flick the human off him very strong. The Autobot could feel his frame shaking, either with rage or fear he was not quite sure but neither emotion could help him at the time. In a situation such as this surely hurting a human would be justifiable, right?

"Are you sure only its eyes will change?" Silas asked.

"Of course, sir, we experimented frequently on the other parts we have until we were a hundred percent sure nothing else would happen."

"Continue then."

Silas looked on impassively as the scientist accessed one optic and then the other. Whatever color the man was changing his optics to did not impede his vision at all, a fact Bumblebee was not sure he should be grateful for or not. Time would tell if he actually wanted to see what Silas was going to make him do. If the car ride over to this room had been any indication, Silas had a great many things in store for the Autobot none of which boded well for the little scout.

"All finished, sir," the scientist said and he got off of Bumblebee.

"Very good. Stingray, stand up." Bumblebee's body obeyed. "Let's see if this works. Scan vehicle and take it as your vehicular mode."

_What_? Bumblebee shouted but was helpless to stop his scanner activating or his plates shifting to the new mode. His body transformed into an exact replica as the original MECH had provided. A Jeep Wrangler with a mounted gun where the back seat should have been. (picture on my profile)

_Nothing more than a piece of destruction,_ Bumblebee thought. _That's what they're making me into_.

"Magnificent," Silas purred. "Audio and visual links established?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Silas got into Bumblebee's new vehicle mode and ordered him to start the engine. Under Silas' rough hands, Bumblebee drove to the elevator and was taken to the surface. Waiting inside the warehouse was a large semi truck with a trailer. Bumblebee's spark skipped a beat but Silas felt the shift beneath him and pinched the leather seat. "As if I would let you leave that easily, Stingray."

Bumblebee was driven into the empty trailer and Silas got out. He rubbed his hand over the hood, "When you return from your mission you won't want anyone to rescue you. You'll rather stay here," he scraped his nails on the side, "with me then face your kind after what you do." Silas grinned, "Not that you'll ever get a choice of course."

Bumblebee was enclosed in darkness. He was aware when the truck started and he could count how many turns and how long they stayed driving straight, but otherwise he was ignorant of where he was going. He kept track of the time, if only to distract himself from Silas' words.

Six hours later the truck stopped and the back door was opened. "_Stingray exit the trailer_," Silas ordered. Bumblebee exited and looked at whatever he could see to identify where he was. Still in the north, perhaps Canada? He really wished his internal map was up and running.

"_Stingray, time to become a true soldier of MECH_." With those words Bumblebee understood the human phrase 'getting a chill up my spine', "_Now, drive east and when you come within a mile of the Army base you will stop_."

It took an hour for Bumblebee to reach the spot he has supposed to stop. Seeing the sign for Alaska managed to cheer him up a little bit, "_Charge the main gate and break through_." Silas waited until Bumblebee was through the gate before issuing his next orders, "_Now transform and open fire on the all the buildings. Raze them to the ground and make sure you get any visible missile launchers_."

_No_! Bumblebee thrashed in his prison and wailed as his blasters opened fire. Explosions burst across the base, missile launchers and any other form of defense among the first to go. The soldiers, taken by surprise, scrambled for some cover before they even tried to shoot back at their attacker. Their bullets ricocheted off of the Autobot as the base was not equipped to handle a Cybertronian. Bumblebee could not tell for certain if he was actually killing any humans but there was no way that those buildings were empty.

It was utter chaos around the Autobot as he continued to destroy the Army base. Screams of pain and anger surrounded him as Silas ordered him to move and continue blasting everything to scrap. His body was utterly merciless and uncaring as his blasters were activated again and again. Blast and destroy, burn and demolish, the scene reminded him too much of Cybertron for comfort.

There was so much horror and devastation around him. Bumblebee tried to pull himself away, to surround his consciousness with good memories but he was unable to separate from what he was seeing. Fire blazed from the buildings, casting the base in a sickly glow of destruction. Smoke blew to the heavens, a sight caught by many eyes whose curiosity was aroused.

A human ran from a burning building and stumbled before him. Wide blue eyes, staring out from a bloodied face looked up at him fearfully. Panicked breaths, huffing from exertion and wracking the small body as the man looked up at him. Bumblebee pleaded for the man to get up and run, before Silas saw him but even if he had been able to speak the human would not have understood.

Bumblebee could almost feel Silas regarding the human before him. His cold eyes not caring one wit for either the member of his race or the Cybertronian. The scout's fears were worth concern when he felt that hated voice once more purr in his audio.

"_Kill him_."

The Autobot primed his blaster and Bumblebee pummeled his cage more fiercely than he ever had before. He could not do this, this act more than everything else Silas had done to him would be the last straw. He would not be a murderer.

_Noooooooooooo_!

**AN: Go ahead and admit it that I'm evil, I won't take offense, I swear.**

**Decepticons: 5**

**Autobots: 2**


	9. Chapter 9 revised

**AN: Just fyi, I did not make up the Twins' nickname for Ratchet. Anyway, thanks to those who care enough to review, it really makes a difference. **

**AN: Thanks Stitchar for pointing out spelling error **

{Autobot Base}

"_Prime! Prime, where are you_?" Agent Fowler's voice came into the main room and everyone turned from what they were doing.

Miko and Bulkhead had been talking about the stinkin' 'cons together, wondering if they could figure out on their own where Bumblebee was being held. Optimus and Ratchet had been talking quietly by the ground bridge controls, the medic asking the Autobot leader if Megatron could really be trusted when he said that he did not have the scout. Jack had been helping Arcee touch-up her motorcycle, gently sanding down the scratches from the fight on the _Nemesis_. Blurr was taking inventory of the storage rooms since Ratchet needed the younger 'bot to do something productive but far away from the medic.

The Twins and Raf were off to the side in a corner. Sunstreaker was leaning against the wall, his blue optics watching the little squishy that Sideswipe was holding. After comforting the little guy the night before, the Twins had come up with different scenarios to keep Raf entertained and to learn all they could about the relationship between their adopted brother and his ward.

Sunstreaker was ready to admit, to his brother not to anyone else, that the little hacker was tolerable. Hearing of the battle with the scraplets and how this little thing had helped Bumblebee from getting eaten alive was certainly a huge factor in the Twins coming to accept Raf as something more than a thing that would be messy if squished. If not for these human allies there would have been no friendly reception to greet them when they landed, and the scraplets would have running unchecked across the planet.

Sideswipe shuddered a little; just thinking of the scraplets was enough to make him uneasy. The Twins feared no Decepticon, even willing to take Megatron on a time or two, and they fought purely for vengeance against those who had robbed them of their parental units. But like all other Cybertronians, the scraplets were enough to make the Twins quake on their peds.

"Agent Fowler," Prime said, and the Twins returned their attention to Raf. With Bumblebee gone it was their job to protect the fleshling and if what happened around them did not concern Decepticons well then you can forget them giving their attention to anything else but Raf. "Unless there is cause for an emergency I request that you not contact us."

"_You bet there's cause for an emergency_!" Fowler snapped, and Raf curled up in Sideswipe's hand. The little boy just wanted the world to slip away while he rested in the warm palm in one of his guardian's older brothers'. Being so close to someone Bumblebee counted as family had helped calm Raf down considerably and he could do without Fowler's yelling.

Unlike with the others, Bumblebee had talked to Raf about the Twins. The boy had been eager to meet the two to whom Bumblebee owed so much, had they not found him buried beneath the rubble when the other Autobots were sure no one had survived, little sparkling 'Bee would have died. Raf had Bumblebee's assurance that should they ever meet the Twins would look after him, just as they had 'Bee when he was little, after all, sparklings were not on the twins' prank hit list.

"_The U.S. Army base outside Juneau, Alaska has just been hit. I'm sending you satellite photos of the area. Coms are down with the base and what these pictures show is not pretty by any standards_."

Ratchet tapped a few keys and pictures popped up on the screen. All the Autobots, except the Twins, moved over to see the satellite shots better. The base was burning, all right, and the blue beam speeding toward a building left no doubt in anyone's minds who was responsible for the destruction.

"That's the 'Cons alright!" Bulkhead said. "Guess it's no big surprise that's Megatron's a liar, huh?"

"Bulkhead," Optimus said, "you and Arcee will go to Alaska and deal with this Decepticon threat."

"What about us, Prime?" Sunstreaker growled, as Sideswipe stood up and ran a finger to soothe an increasingly drowsy Raf. Shielded in the mech's hand, the boy was becoming less aware of what was happening around him as Sideswipe focused on easing him into recharge. If the Twins had one gift that Ratchet appreciated it was getting stubborn patients into recharge mode.

"Given our encounters with the Decepticons in the past it is doubtful that this is their only point of attack. It would be unwise of us to deploy all our troops or to even let Megatron know that we have received reinforcements. Ratchet, activate the ground bridge."

{Back to Juneau Army base}

The blue blaster bolt incinerated the human and Bumblebee wailed his grief within the confines of his prison. With his own optics he had seen himself kill a human, a soldier who had probably never heard of MECH or of the Cybertronians. The man probably had a family, children who would grow up without their father as he had done. Bumblebee had vowed to never be responsible for a sparkling going through what he had gone through, but now he had broken his vow.

The man was not the only one who fell before Bumblebee's blasters. Unable to look away, Bumblebee watched as he killed humans left and right under Silas' direction. Blood painted the ground and his peds stepped in it, coating the soles of his feet and seeping into his gears. He doubted that it would ever be completely washed away should Silas ever permit him a bath.

"_Now you're truly one of us_," Silas gloated in his ear.

_If I ever break out of your control I will kill you_! Bumblebee screamed in his mind, wishing that Silas could hear him so that the human would know the wrath burning in the Autobot's processor.

Smashing a tank, Bumblebee threw it before turning back to where a few humans were attempting to shoot him with their primitive rifles. "_Run at them and squash them with your feet!" _Silas ordered.

Bumblebee started forward, running toward the humans who were crouching behind some debris. Inside Bumblebee felt numb, knowing he could do nothing to stop these men from dying beneath his peds. Just as he reached them a blaster bolt impacted with his left shoulder and sent him staggering away from his intended targets.

"_Look to your left_!" Silas ordered and Bumblebee obeyed. His spark jumped at seeing Arcee and Bulkhead running towards him and for a second he hoped they were coming to rescue him but that hope burst into ash as both the incoming Autobots opened fire on him. "_Retreat back the way you came and open fire on those robots_!"

Bulkhead and Arcee dodged the incoming blaster fire and made to pursue but ascream stopped them. Turning they saw soldiers trapped in a burning building. "Get the humans out, Arcee," Bulkhead turned his right hand into his smashing ball. "I'll take the 'Con."

Arcee did not argue, even though she had seniority over Bulkhead. The ex-Wrecker was right, he would have a better time taking on the Decepticon than she would with her smaller frame and the humans did need to be helped. "Fine, but be careful."

Bumblebee watched as Bulkhead charged toward him. "_Open fire_!" Silas ordered, but 'Bee knew that Bulkhead would not be taken down so easily.

Bulkhead crashed into Bumblebee and Silas ordered him to fight back. However, even though in control of his body Bumblebee could have given Bulkhead a run for his money he still could not match the bulky( ) 'bot with strength. No doubt Silas could see that this was the case since after five minutes of the two Cybertronians grappling he gave another order.

Bumblebee watched one hand turn into a blaster and shove into the shoulder joint. A bolt hit the wiring between the arm and shoulder and Bulkhead yelled out, releasing Bumblebee as he stepped back. Inside his processor, Bumblebee whimpered as he saw his friend losing energon from the wound that he had inflicted.

"_Transform and return to the truck_."

There was nothing to do but obey. Bumblebee burned rubber getting back to the truck and pulling into the trailer. The MECH soldiers laughed as they closed the door, sealing him in darkness and he did not bother to distract himself with counting the turns or time that passed. He was numb, and for a brief moment wondered if he had the power to offline himself if he would.

Silas had succeeded. He had made Bumblebee do that which he had sworn not to, rendering his Autobot oath broken and his morals degraded. Silas was right, even if the Autobots found him now he would not want to return.

How could he look any of them in the optics again? How could he ever beg them for forgiveness? There was no way he would be able to atone for this, no deed he could possibly do could make recompense for these atrocities.

Bumblebee did not notice the passing of time and when the trailer stopped he was not aware. The door opening and Silas ordering him to drive out were all done with him only dimly knowing that they were happening. He did not snap out of his daze until he drove into the room Silas had made him move the boxes in earlier.

There, standing before him, was a tall gray mech. Almost the size of Optimus Prime but looking nothing like the Autobot leader or Megatron. The yellow eyes bore into him with an intensity that would have made Bumblebee shiver had he still not felt so numb.

"Transform." That voice! Bumblebee's body obeyed as Bumblebee himself reeled back as he recognized the voice coming from the taller mech. "You did well today, Stingray. Much better than others thought you would but I," a hand reached out, cupping his face, "I never doubted you for a moment."

Bumblebee shuddered, caught between revulsion and the need for comfort after what he had done. "They will not want you now, little soldier. They have seen you kill and attack your own without mercy." The fingers rubbed his battle mask affectionately and his frame did not tremble, whether from emotional exhaustion or simply giving up Bumblebee did not know. "Such a good little Stingray," the fingers caressed their way down his arm. "My little Stingray. Everything that made you who you were has been destroyed; the weakness and impurities have been expunged. I have reformed you into perfection; no one will stop you from doing my will now, not even you. You are not alone, Stingray, I am here and soon there will be others."

Bumblebee started to awake from his daze, blinking in his prison as he remembered all that this monster had done to him.

"We will bring them all together: human and robot into a unified coexistence with each other. You were but the first, the prototype if you will, but now that I have the evidence that it works we will bring the world under our heel. You will help me bend every robot to my rule and as for the humans, we will need a test subject to try out the organic slave coding." The mech had reached Bumblebee's left hand, a finger sliding open so that a thin shaped rod could attach to the wiring at the wrist.

Bumblebee stared at the words that appeared in the left hand corner of his optics. He had mobility, just enough to take a step forward or back.

"Will you help me find a suitable human subject for testing?" The free hand traveled down Bumblebee's chest plates and touched the scarred platting that sent little shivers of pain up his frame. "Do you want your reward, my Stingray, for a job well done?"

Bumblebee was not paying attention to the voice. He could step forward or back, accept the offering or refuse it. Refusal obviously would bring pain but acceptance would also not be pleasant. However, there was another thing that caused Bumblebee's spark to stutter with fear.

A human test subject, MECH wanted a human test subject! They wanted him to bring them a human to test their code on. To Bumblebee that translated as one thing: they wanted Raf! He may not be an Autobot any more, he may be a murderer and no better than a Decepticon but he would not condemn his little brother to this nightmare!

_No_! Shaking with denial, Bumblebee took his single step back and the mech wasted no time in hitting him in the head. Without any orders to regain his footing, Bumblebee fell to the floor with an echoing crash and stayed put.

"Get up!" Bumblebee obeyed, only to be knocked down again and again until the other tired of the game.

"Get up and stack all those crates on the other side of the room, and move slowly!"

Bumblebee got up and set to work while the other watched him. "You go another mission tomorrow, and again and again until you realize that refusing me was the worst thing you could have done!" The mech smiled at Bumblebee, who moved slowly with a crate to the other side of the room. "Breaking you will be more fun than I thought."

Tucked away inside his prison, Bumblebee curled up and wept. He did not dare to use dare to use his memories of Raf to act as a barrier between himself and the horror he had done. His mind was no longer safe with the other mech here, Silas could use it to form an interface with his medical port and access his processor.

To save his little brother, Bumblebee used every fiber of his will to draw all his memories of Raf together. Once all the files were gathered he locked them down to a medic's access only, protecting Raf to the best of his ability that he could at this point. Once the process was done all he could remember was seeking to protect someone but no longer being able to recollect whom.

{Nemesis}

Soundwave moved before Megatron and the Decepticon leader turned to him. "What is it?"

On Soundwave's visor appeared a picture and Megatron leaned forward to see it better. It was a film, showing a 'bot with black and blue armor destroying a human base and tackling with the Autobot Bulkhead. Megatron narrowed his optics at seeing the glaring red optics of the unknown attacker.

"That is not one of mine," he growled. "Backtrack every occurrence, see if this is his first target and anticipate his next. The Autobots are clearly unable to solve this themselves!"

**Decepticons: 5**

**Autobots: 3**


	10. Chapter 10 revised

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! **

**Starfire201: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**Igeegeei and Asher Tye: Here's where you get to see what Megatron is going to do about it. The human causalities kind of distracted Arcee and Bulkhead, and being angry at the Decepticon thrashing they were given on the **_**Nemesis**_** only helped fuel their need to beat something up. Also, Bulkhead was the closest to the controlled Bumblebee and he's not the brightest of the bunch so no ground bridge could just mean that the Decepticon wanted to be farther away before gating out, after all you don't want the enemy following you do you?**

**What happens in this chapter? Megatron gets royally ticked off and decides to do something about it.**

{_Nemesis_}

Megatron was awakened from recharge by a ping from Soundwave. He rose out of his berth and stretched to unkink any wiring that may have bunched up during the night. Recharging in alt mode was more realistic if a mech wanted to avoid wiring bunching up but during this time of war and uncertainly it was safer to recharge in bipedal mode.

On his way to the bridge Megatron ran into Knockout. The medic fell into step with Megatron and they looked briefly at each other before continuing on to the bridge.

"Soundwave pinged you too, my lord?" Knockout asked and Megatron could hear the curiosity in his voice. Soundwave never requested the stuck-up medic's presence and had to be ordered by Megatron to go to the medical bay for the monthly routine diagnostic as the communications/security officer would not go on his own.

"Yes, it appears that your expertise is required as well as mine."

"Indeed, Lord Megatron, but I must confess I have been so busy during the off-time you've provided us with my own," Knockout searched for a word to describe his illegal street racing, "pursuits that I'm afraid I have no idea what project Soundwave is currently working on."

"The mystery of the unknown attacker on a human military base."

"And this concerns us how, my lord?"

Megatron turned to glare at the medic, "The attacker obliterated the base and most of its personnel, all the while appearing to be a Decepticon and escaped the Autotbots who were sent to deal with him."

"Starscream?" Knockout guessed but Megatron shook his head.

"The mech was a grounder and Soundwave reports Starscream is still nursing his wounds from our last bout."

"Hmm, a puzzle then, my lord," Knockout said and they entered the bridge.

Soundwave was at a screen, his tentacles operating the various buttons while information flashed across the system faster than even Megatron or Knockout could keep up. This was why Soundwave was such a valued asset to the Decepticon cause; his ability to process information and keep track of millions of data and communication lines was legendary. Soundwave had only had one real nemesis, and that was the human child, Rafael Esquivel, who the third-in-command would very much like to meet in a non-combative environment. This was a wish that he kept secret even from his drones; they could be such jealous little creatures after all.

"Soundwave, report," Megatron ordered.

Soundwave turned to them to acknowledge the order before looking back at the screen before him. He played the video of the attack on the Army base in Juneau, Alaska, letting Knockout see it for the first time. Knockout had seen devastation many times during his thousand years but the utter execution of the human soldiers by the mech left his spark constricting. Not even the Decepticons had unleashed such destruction on this planet and, the medic admitted privately to himself, seeing the little, fragile forms be incinerated was not a pretty picture.

Soundwave then brought up a map of Northern America, zooming in to highlight two areas. One was the Army base Knockout had just seen destroyed, the other was an air base where the computers had been hacked and a picture of a zooming car breaking through the gate was the only evidence of the intruder. Soundwave drew a line from one base to the other, and then drew a third line to another spot as a possible target.

"I know the picture is primitive technology but can you enhance it to some degree to compare it the Army base's attacker?" Megatron requested.

Soundwave brought the picture up on the screen and worked at it. Megatron and Knockout waited patiently as the pixels were enhanced and sharpened so that the image could be better seen. The medic gasped at the end result while Megatron narrowed his eyes.

Knockout would have known that car mode anywhere, even if it were painted a different color as it was. "Bumblebee."

Megatron looked at Knockout before turning to Soundwave. He did not have to give the order as his TIC(third-in-command) was already bringing up the file on Bumblebee. Measuring the Autobot's scout frame in one screen, Soundwave brought up the base's attacker on another and measured it as well. Pushing both images together all three Decepticons could see the match, even if the fake Decepticon's frame was slightly off due to the alt mode being different.

"Autobot fools," Megatron growled, "none of you will make the connection." The Decepticon leader looked at his communications officer and medic, "What could make a mech turn against his faction and become a ruthless killer?"

Knockout and Soundwave briefly looked at each other before the silent mech hung his head and the medic shook his own viciously. "But it would be impossible for the coding to have been introduced to his system. We eradicated it, you killed the ones who made it and every mech who has joined our ranks has been screened and heavily firewalled against anything remotely like it. He could not have been infected, Lord Megatron."

"Are you certain?" Megatron looked out the port window at the stars, "What other explanation is there? You know the Autobot scout, Knockout, you have had the most run-ins with him. Tell me, is he such a one to turn against Optimus Prime and slaughter the race of one that is his ward?"

Knockout's exhaust system huffed and his fans turned on to cool down his frame. "No, he is every inch an Autobot, blindly loyal because that is how he has been raised. I cannot see him changing his paintjob or alt mode voluntarily, he is more prone to speed than to destruction."

"Then there is no other explanation." Megatron pinged Dreadwing to report to the bridge immediately. "Ready the medical bay, you are on standby until further notice. Soundwave, be ready to activate a ground bridge to that area immediately when he strikes. The Autobots will most likely try to come to us so we must be prepared. I want the shield frequencies on an ever-changing loop so that Prime cannot get on board as he did last time. We are the only ones who know how to deal with a mech under the influence of the slave coding and it can best be dealt with here, the Autobots will only get in the way so as soon as Bumblebee is brought onto the ship move the _Nemesis_ away from Earth."

"Lord Megatron," Knockout piped up. "Who could be responsible for such an act of violation?"

Megatron looked down at Earth, "An enemy that both Prime and I have treated far too lightly. I began to think of them as a threat when we recovered Breakdown but felt it would be better for Optimus to deal with them since he did call them humanity's version of us Decepticons. Obviously, I was mistaken that he could handle the situation, even after those despicable humans tarnished Prime's name with their abomination."

"You mean…" Knockout could not finish his sentence, the violence done to his partner, Breakdown, still a gaping wound in his spark no matter how hard he tried not to show it.

"Yes," Megatron looked at the picture that Soundwave provided, one of an adult human male whose face was adorned with scars. "Silas."

**AN: So, is Megatron angry? Or is he angry? Also, for those who requested Knockout did you like his entrance? If you thought he might have been a tad too serious just remember, when it comes to slave coding there is no room for humor.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I'm trying to keep my updates fast so I don't lose your interest but I feel like I need to give people more time to review since my number of reviews per chapter has gone down, but I'm housesitting so I have very little to do. Besides mowing the lawn and making sure the dogs get plenty of exercise *sigh*. I do have 23 followers so, logically, I should get 23 reviews for each chapter or close to it. Right? ****And yes I'm still taking faction declarations I just forgot to add them to the last chapter.**

When Bumblebee emerged from his catatonic state he became aware of the warning light flashing to the side of his optics.

**Energon levels reaching depletion!**

**Advise refuel immediately!**

**Systems overheating: recharge required.**

He could not recharge unless Silas let him and he could not refuel under the same condition. Soon his systems would force stasis lock in order to preserve his life, this nightmare would soon be over. Even stasis lock would only work for so long,

"_Transform into vehicle mode and head to the elevator,_" Silas' voice ordered in his audio and Bumblebee's frame groaned with effort as he transformed. He was not sure which mode he would rather be in when stasis lock was enforced, both of them had been abused by Silas but the 'bot was sure that he hated his alt mode the most.

Once topside he was again loaded in the trailer and driven away. Bumblebee sagged on his wheels, his mind was his last line of defense against Silas and he could not allow the human to get to him as he had almost allowed him last night. Numbing himself to keep whatever flimsy control he could over his emotions seemed his only option now. He had killed many humans yesterday, he could still feel their blood coating his gears, what would killing a few more mean?

Bumblebee shook his head angrily. What kind of soldier was he? He had not lasted a day under Silas's verbal manipulation, his mind was already going down the avenue the human wanted him to go. Was he going insane? Had he lost his grip on sanity fighting a battle he had no hope of winning?

"_Drive south until I tell you to stop Stingray_," ordered Silas and Bumblebee's engine started and he was off.

When Bumblebee was finally ordered to stop he could not believe his sensors. Silas had him facing an airport where he could see a jet plane landing and another prepping to leave. Civilians! Yesterday had been soldiers, men who had had some idea at least that going to work meant the possibility of not coming home, but these were people on their way to see family or returning home from a business trip. Men, women and children.

Bumblebee had not thought it possible for Silas to drag him any lower but he had been wrong. Once again he was underestimated the human and it had cost him to not be prepared for what was to happen. Who was he kidding? There was no way to prepare for the massacre of non-combatants.

"_Stingray, at full speed you will run through the fence, transform and throw that truck at the nearest jet. Move now_." Bumblebee gunned his engine and left a trail of smoke behind him as he charged through the fence, scratching his body some more. Like watching a movie, Bumblebee saw his hand grab the truck and throw it into the plane that was about to take off.

The vehicle hit a turbine and the jet exploded on the runway. Charging his blasters, Bumblebee fired on the other jets and hanger bays as per Silas' orders. The airport's ground crews screamed around him as they tried to run away but a few blasts in their direction ceased all moving.

"_Aim at the airport's terminal with both blasters_." Bumblebee could see the people through the window, some frozen in fear and others fleeing for their lives. The idiots who whipped out their cell phones or cameras to film what was happening outside, not knowing that where they stood was next.

Bumblebee brought his arms up and primed his blasters. Silas ordered him to step forward, so that the humans inside would know that death was approaching, but two steps forward Bumblebee stumbled. His blasters powered down with a low hum.

"_What is going on? Stingray! Fire at the building now_!"

Bumblebee tried to obey but his blasters would not charge.

**Energon depleted: refuel immediately!**

The warning flashed at the bottom of his optics and Bumblebee smiled inside. It was almost over; the nightmare was almost over. Just a few more minutes and the energon that had been rerouted from powering his blasters to give his form mobility would be gone as well.

"_Run at the building and smash it down_!" Silas screamed in his audios and Bumblebee's systems whirled as he prepared to obey. "_Wait, what is that? Stingray turn around!"_

Bumblebee turned around and saw a green swirl of light closing. A ground bridge had been opened to this area, and the aircraft hurtling toward him quickly identified who had been deposited. Bumblebee was completely stunned and welcomed the impact with open arms.

Megatron transformed and grabbed Bumblebee, smashing him hard into the ground. "_Fight back_!" echoed in his audios and Bumblebee changed his blasters into his servos, curling them to punch at the Decepticon leader. Though he was driven by Silas' command, Bumblebee's movements were sluggish as his form was running on energon fumes now.

The Decepticon easily grabbed Bumblebee's hands in one servo and used his feet to pin down the scout's legs. "_Stingray! Do not cease moving! Fight him off_!" But Silas's orders were useless as Megatron reached behind Bumblebee's head, a finger sliding beneath the neck joints to hit the manual stasis-lock button.

Megatron stood up and glanced briefly at the humans he had saved. Most of them had fled, only the anti-terrorist squads and a few I-wouldn't-know-danger-if-it-hit-me types had remained to watch the robot fight. They were staring at him with a mixture of awe and fear upon their faced and he snorted before turning away from him.

He scanned the small form at his feet and maliciously grinned into the video cameras before destroying them. Then he destroyed the devices in the scout's audios as well before hoisting the younger Cybertronian's inert form over a shoulder. Looking at the burning planes and destroyed hangers, Megatron sighed before turning back to the humans.

"The Decepticons were not responsible for this devastation." Moving away from them, Megatron activated his comm, "Soundwave, activate the ground bridge. Tell Dreadwing to prepare for an Autobot attack."

**AN: Wrote this chapter listening to Two Steps from Hell's Undefeated, album Nero, recommend you listen to that song while reading this.**

**Decepticons: 6**

**Autobots: 3**


	12. Chapter 12 revised

**Veail: I was going to draw out Bumblebee's servitude to MECH but I've put him through a lot and Megatron just wouldn't stand for any more. Also, I like most Two Steps' music; it's great to write to.**

**Starfire201: Silas may pride himself on knowing a lot about the transformers but he was more interested in how to utilize them as weapons than how to maintain them.**

**Igeegeei: Megatron inadvertently saved the humans; he was more intent on stopping Bumblebee at the time.**

**Thunderweb: Stay tuned.**

**The Anonymous Forgot my name: Welcome and thanks for the review. Did you mean Megatron's timing wasn't good or my timing in posting the chapter wasn't good?**

**Devine.L: :)**

**Stitchar: Thanks for your idea; I was kind of leaning in that direction anyway so great minds think alike, eh?**

**Asher Tye: Silas' plan for the targets was more of a messing with Bumblebee's head and destroying things to clear the area around MECH's secret hideout.**

**AN: To everyone else, thanks for the reviews and the following/favoriting! Also, if you have ideas or notice spelling errors let me know, thanks in advance.**

Megatron stared down at the small mech on the table in the medical bay. The scanner above Bumblebee was running back and forth, displaying the results on a screen near where the scout lay. Knockout was watching the screen, doing his best not to look at the Autobot while he tried to keep his tone professional.

Since even before Knockout had become chief medical officer on the _Nemesis_, the racer had seen his quota of ghastly injuries. Bumblebee's wounds got labeled on the list of injuries that Knockout wished he never saw again. It was not so much the scratches or dents in his plating, those Knockout had dealt with on a regular basis, but deep gouge marks around the lower port made his frame shudder.

Seeing the opened port had been the first thing Knockout had focused on once Megatron had set Bumblebee down on the table. As much as the medic wanted to return some privacy to the scout by closing the port he could not until he had healed the ripped area. That, in and of itself, would not be a pleasant task.

"Knockout," Megatron growled, "what is your assessment?"

"Stasis lock would have been enacted before you did so anyway, Lord Megatron," Knockout answered. "His tank has been drained dry of energon and he has not recharged for the past thirty-nine hours. His body would have eventually shut down in order to preserve itself."

"But not soon enough," Megatron whispered.

"Indeed, my lord. His frame is covered with scratches and dents, and a scorch mark on the shoulder where that big lug, Bulkhead, shot him. However, the worst injury is the…" Knockout trailed off, refusing to look at the area that must have caused Bumblebee more pain than anything else MECH or the green Autobot had thrown at him.

Megatron's red eyes glowed with anger and he fought to restrain himself from smashing any of the delicate instruments in the room. "Apart from humiliating him, what reason would they have had to open the lower port?"  
"I believe, Lord Megatron," responded Knockout, "that is, if my scans are correct, that MECH used that area to download the slave code into his system."

Megatron looked startled and Knockout did not blame him, he was startled too. On Cybertron the slave code had been forced onto a mech or femme through the medical port at the back of the head to ensure total control and complete compliance. The lower port had never been used for this not only because even the enslaving Cybertronians had a line they would not cross but also because the lower port was not connected to the processor.

"His mind is intact?" Megatron asked, and Knockout could understand the growing horror in his leader.

"It is, Lord Megatron." Bumblebee's consciousness was untouched, his memory files undamaged. He had not been memory wiped or reprogrammed to do Silas' bidding, the scout had been aware of everything that had gone on around him. "The humans separated his body functions from his processor. He could still think on his own, feel anything through his nervous system and see what was going on. I also found a substance on him that is not Cybertronian and am running a check of it through the organic matter database. There is the blood of course all over his peds, most likely from that Army base, Silas didn't wash him off at all."

Megatron tapped a few controls on the wall to cycle the airflow through the medical bay. "That much is obvious from the smell. If squashing humans did not send their organic fluids everywhere I would gladly crush Silas with one hand. However," Megatron looked down at the unconscious Bumblebee, "his punishment must be something much more lasting and painful for this violation. What is the first step, Knockout?"

Knockout reached for Bumblebee's chest plates and moved them slightly before pushing a finger in. "First I will activate his regeneration program and seal any energon leaks. Then I will have to," Knockout cleared his throat unnecessarily, "manually fill his tank with energon. Once that's done I can set about searching for the slave code and erasing it, but it would probably be best if he were active for that since I will have to do a cortical psychic patch and it would be best if he saw someone entering rather then someone randomly showing up in his mind. I shall ask for a volunteer to help me connecting with Bumblebee so as to have another set of hands in finding the code."

"So be it. Set about his repairs and there is no need in asking for a volunteer, I will be on the other end of the cortical psychic patch."

"Lord Megatron, are you sure?"

"The scout and I have shared this experience before, it would better if someone more familiar with his mind were to do it so as to make it faster and less painful. Besides," Megatron placed a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder, a finger rubbing a scratch more gently than even he was aware, "I would like some time to talk to the scout."

"As you wish, Lord Megatron."

{Autobot base}

Sideswipe glanced down at the sleeping human in his hand. Raf's sleep cycle had been almost non-existent since Bumblebee had been taken. The Twins were just happy to get him into a peaceful recharge, never mind if it was at the wrong time of the day for humans to sleep. Nightmares had plagued the boy's dreams and the two newcomers and learned that keeping Raf cupped closely to a spark chamber, where he could feel the rhythmic pulse comforting him, kept away these night terrors and the boy could get a restful sleep.

"Why are they called nightmares anyway?" Sunstreaker asked, his back to Sideswipe so he could not see what his twin was working on. "And don't tell me to Google it, that's all those two other squishes tell me to do when I ask them to explain something." Sideswipe snorted, "What?"

"More like demand them to explain something. Plus, I don't think Miko likes you."

"Why not? Because I messed with her stereo system after she played that thing so loud I thought my audios would burn out? Can't see how Bulkhead can put up with that. Guess we were lucky getting the one squishy who doesn't need a lift to work and is quiet and well behaved."

Sideswipe ran a comforting finger down Raf's back, cooing softly as the boy nuzzled closer to his chest plates. "He is pretty adorable, huh? Can't fathom how this species has survived with such soft bodies, their world is certainly harsh in some areas." Sunstreaker muttered something that sounded like 'still squishy', "I was reading the other day about how much the human body can endure, even without the proper training to do so, it's amazing."

"If you say so," Sunstreaker said, and Sideswipe could hear the sounds of an airbrush.

"What are you doing over there? Does it have anything to do with wanting Raf's yellow shirt?"

"Patience, Sides, all in good time."

"You have a lot of nerve talking about patience, Sunny."

"Done." Sunstreaker turned around, holding Raf's yellow shirt carefully between two fingers. Sideswipe grinned when he saw the blue Autobot symbol on the chest of the shirt.

"Nice." Sideswipe's comm buzzed and he tapped the side of his helm, "Yes?"

"_Sideswipe_," said Ratchet, "_I need you to bring Rafael to the main room right now_."

"What is it Ratchet? Raf's only been sleeping for an hour, I'd like him to sleep for a few more so unless it's—"

"_There's been another attack, this time on a civilian airport, I need Rafael's expertise to use the satellites to help me look for the _Nemesis."

"Ratchet," Sunstreaker joined the comm chat. "Doesn't your liaison have access to military operatives who are computer experts?"

"_Well, yes, but_—"

"Then get them to help you, no one is waking the little squishy up until he's fully rested. And if you try to come here I will stop you."

Sideswipe frowned as the line was broken off. "No one is acting like themselves since we got here, Sunny."

"I noticed that, Sides."

{Nemesis}

Dreadwing stood on the bridge, overlooking their flight as the ship moved swiftly away from Earth. Since the Decepticons were not going near the spacebridge or any of the other planets the Autobots would be unable to follow. The seeker looked to the left, where Soundwave was busy working at his station. As per Megatron's instructions, the communications officer was deleting or obscuring any images or videos that the humans had taken at the wrecked airport.

Not that Megatron was worried about exposure; if he had been then he would have finished what the Autobot scout had started back at that airport. Neither Dreadwing nor Soundwave were certain why Megatron wanted the evidence destroyed but they weren't about to question their leader so foolishly as had been Starscream's wont. Soundwave tilted his head slightly, to look at the spot where the crazed had killed Cliffjumper.

That had been a senseless killing, but Soundwave, like the Vehicons, had kept silent and done Starscream's bidding. Of course Soundwave had done what he could to thwart any plans of former second-in-command, all the while cataloging everything to be shown to Megatron upon his return. The Decepticons had had their ups and downs since this war had started hundreds of years ago, even Megatron had had his crazed moments but things were finally coming together it seemed.

While Dreadwing and Soundwave carried out Megatron's orders, the Decepticon leader and Knockout were busy in the medical bay. Megatron, much to the medic's surprise, had lent a hand in helping seal and patch the mangled lower port and had taken it upon himself to hook up the energon cable to refuel Bumblebee's tank. It had been an unpleasant task, one Knockout had done to unconscious mechs before and never would he have thought the Decepticon leader would lower himself to carrying out such an unwanted task. Knockout had been doubly relieved when he had finally been able to close the outer door of the lower port and thereby restore some shred of dignity to the little Autobot.

Knockout moved Bumblebee's head, ready to take him out of stasis lock, but looked up at Megatron. "Lord Megatron, would it not be better to inform the Autobots that we have their scout?"

"An excellent plan, Knockout," the medic did not have to be a genius to hear the sarcasm in Megatron's voice. "Hello Prime, we have your scout, yes the same one you accused us of taking, and are about to erase a slave code that was making him serve Silas and kill humans. What's that? Yes, there is such a thing as a slave code, the Council of Peace ordered Iaconian scientists to make it in order to subject newly formed mechs and femmes from the All Spark into a willing servitude populace. You don't believe me? How strange."

Megatron and Knockout looked at each other for a few seconds before the medic returned his attention to Bumblebee. "I see your point, Lord Megatron. Although, I cannot say for certain if the code is Cybertronian or human at this point."

Megatron waved a hand, "It amounts to the same thing."

Knockout moved his finger between Bumblebee's neck joints and brought the 'bot out of stasis. For a few seconds the newly onlined blue optics stared uncomprehendingly as energon was pumped through the exhausted frame, but then Bumblebee started to thrash against his restraints. Knockout realized that Bumblebee was trying to punch and kick them but the heavy metal clamps prevented him from doing so.

"Bumblebee calm down!" Knockout tried.

"It is no use," Megatron said. "He is, no doubt, still listening to Silas' last set of orders. Prepare the cortical psychic patch, we must get started as soon as possible."

Knockout took the cable that was to go in Bumblebee's medical port and he could swear that he saw the little 'bot's eyes widen. "I know you have little reason to trust me, Bumblebee, I'd be the same if our situation was reversed, but trust me when I say that this is for your own good. We're going to help you."

Knockout inserted the cable and Megatron wasted no time pushing the other end into his medical port. "So it begins."

**AN: This was hard to write, just trying to get these characters to say what I need them to say but not lose their way of speaking. Ugh! It was hard, but I guess I can label any changes to their characters by saying "Hey, it's Fanfiction, it wouldn't be any fun reading if it's what we already know."**


	13. Chapter 13 revised

**aidan bale: huh?**

**Thunderweb: you're welcome**

**Starfire201: I guess Silas' thinking was that since the transformers are superior to human computers than they're superior to human vehicles too. And plus he really didn't care, for reasons that will be explained.**

**Twistedstorm: glad to have you back and happy you're enjoying it. Stay tuned.**

**AN: Thanks to Thunderweb for the heads-up on grammar and typos.**

{Autobot base}

"I don't believe it," Ratchet said, checking his monitors once more. "Optimus, the _Nemesis_ is not showing up on any of the scanning equipment."

"Explain Ratchet," Optimus said, while he, Arcee and Bulkhead moved closer to where the medic stood.

"We should be able to pick up something, an energy displacement if they're in stealth mode or a signal off their shields, but there's nothing."

"Have you tried looking for an ion trail, Ratchet?" The three Cybertronians turned to see the Twins standing in the doorway, Raf sitting in Sideswipe's hand and wearing Sunstreaker's gift.

"There would only be an ion trail if the _Nemesis_ were using its sub-light engines but they would only be using those if they were leaving the system," Ratchet argued.

"Ratchet," Optimus said, after seeing Raf's face that was as closely mirrored by the Twins as Cyebrtronians could do. "Check for an ion trail."

Ratchet grumbled but obeyed and was surprised to find a trail leading away from Earth.

"Yay! Go Raf!" cried Miko, earning disapproving looks from the Twins.

"The Decepticons have left Earth," Optimus said, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice.

"They must be plotting something, Optimus," Ratchet said, "why else would they leave?"

The Autobots were silent and Raf turned away from them. He could feel Sideswipe's hand curl protectively around him and the mech hummed lowly. "Forget about the 'Cons," the voice growled and other Autobots turned to look in surprise at Sunstreaker. The yellow mech was usually the last to even think of backing off the Decepticons but in this instant he was all for letting go.

"Going after the 'Cons hasn't brought us any closer to Bumblebee, and we need to focus on finding him then worrying about what the stinkin' 'Cons are up to!"

"And where do you suggest that we start?" Ratchet asked sarcastically.

"First," said Sideswipe, "we are taking Raf out to help us choose alt modes. While we're out why don't the rest of you think about who could have taken 'Bee."

The Twins were gone in a flash and the rest just stood there. "I'llgotoo, I needanaltmodeaswell." Blurr followed the Twins and Ratchet turned to Optimus.

"You could have ordered them to stay. In fact, if you had ordered them to let Raf help me earlier we would have discovered that the _Nemesis_ was gone much sooner."

"Ratchet, the Twins have little respect for authority, as you well know, but their sparks are in the right place. They are taking their temporary guardianship of Raf very seriously, and I would have been out of my jurisdiction in ordering them to allow Raf in helping you. I am a Prime, I may be a leader of the Autobot military faction but I have no authority in interfering between a guardian and his ward."

"What about MECH?" Jack asked, Arcee had picked him from work half an hour ago and he had been drafted by Miko to help her fix her stereo system.

"We trashed them a year ago, Jack," said Arcee, "and Silas was buried underneath a lot of rubble."

"I know that," said Jack, "but his body wasn't found. Look at the other times we thought he was dead and he wasn't."

Ratchet waved a hand dismissively, "The planning and equipment it would take to pull off such a thing would be—"

"Possible," said Arcee. "Look at when they stole Bumblebee's T-Cog, or made an alliance with Arachnid and had me strapped down ready for dissection." She dropped her head, "Look at what happened with Breakdown. Admit it Ratchet, we were only too happy to point fingers at the Decepticons but we've been wrong all along."

"Agent Fowler," Optimus said, touching the side of his helm, "we need any reports of MECH activity or rumors you may have heard of them still being active. No, I received nothing about— I see, thank you for informing me."

"Optimus, you can't seriously—"

"Several of the human survivors from the airport attack have described Megatron's frame as being one of the mechs there. They all swear that after he took down the mech who was attacking he turned to the humans and told them that the Decepticons were not responsible."

"Of course he would say that, he's a Decepticon!" Ratchet shouted.

"No," Optimus said, raising a hand to rub against his helm and wondering why there was a growing ache in his processor. "There is much more going on than we previously thought."

{Nemesis: medical bay}

Megatron took a second to orient himself before he looked around. He was standing in a lab type room with human sized equipment. In the middle of the room was the Autobot scout, trapped in a metal cage in which Bumblebee was pacing.

"We meet again, little scout." Bumblebee froze and turned to face Megatron, "Only this time, Autobot, the situation is quite different, isn't it?"

Bumblebee shook his head, "I'm no Autobot."

Megatron paused and then narrowed his eyes. "Then Silas has already won." Bumblebee looked up, startled, "You've given up just because you witnessed and were forced to take part in massacring members of a race you swore to protect. You see yourself as weak, pathetic next to those of your faction who still uphold their oaths. You have deemed yourself unworthy of following Prime's command since you allowed yourself to be compromised and no longer considered an asset to the Autobot cause."

"How—? How do you know?" Bumblebee whispered disbelievingly.

"You are not the first, Bumblebee, who has had his body turned against himself. Do not think that you are the only one who has fallen victim to a slave code."

"_Lord Megatron_," Knockout's voice came in through the inner com. "_The slave code has become aware of your presence and is enroute to your location_. It will most likely try to use the cortical psychic patch to gain control of your body."

"Acknowledged, Knockout." Megatron glanced briefly at the imprisoned Autobot before taking a firm stance in front of the door, "We will continue this conversation after I have dealt with this pestilence, little scout."

Bumblebee watched with wide eyes as Megatron stepped between the barrier of the mind and body. The scout could see the glowing green slave coding hurling itself toward the Decepticon leader and Bumblebee was surprised to find himself worried for Megatron. His fear was unfounded as Knockout was not sleeping at his post and the combined efforts of Megatron and Knockout halted the coding mere inches away from the Decepticon leader.

Megatron scanned the coding, as Knockout was doing from his console. "_As unbelievable as it sounds, Lord Megatron," _Knockout said, "_the coding appears to have a Cybertronian base with human reformatting over it_."

"So it appears, Knockout." Megatron felt his anger steadily rising, who ever had been careless in letting something like this fall into human hands would certainly meet their end at his hands. "Are you ready to pull the coding from the scout's systems?"

"_Yes, my lord, one moment_." Megatron stood aside so that Bumblebee could see the slave code warp before shrinking until it was gone. "_Download complete. As soon as you exit Bumblebee's mind I will do a fuller boot of his systems so that any trace of the coding will be erased for good_."

"Acknowledged." Megatron walked over to where Bumblebee was still trapped inside the cage. Pushing one servo between the bars, the Decepticon lord grinned at the youngling, "Take my hand, little scout, this prison is but of your making now. This is your mind, pick a place to rest and all will be normal once you wake."

Bumblebee hesitated a brief second before accepting Megatron's hand. The Decepticon pulled him and Bumblebee found the prison and room blurring before disappearing. Blankness surrounded Megatron and Bumblebee as the scout had no idea what memory file to access while he recharged.

"I'm sure you have plenty memories of your human charge to give you comfort," Megatron said. "Pick one and I will leave."

"Who?" Bumblebee asked, confusion written all over his face as he turned to the Decepticon leader.

Megatron's eyebrows went up, "You do not remember Rafael Esquivel?"

"Who's that?" Bumblebee wracked his processor, but his memory files were coming up blank. Shrugging off Megatron's hand, Bumblebee selected his memory of when he saw the aurora borealis for the first time. Happily, he let the lights surround him and did not notice when Megatron turned and left.

Once the cortical psychic patch had been disconnected, Megatron stood and looked down at the recharging form of Bumblebee. "Knockout, while you are checking his systems for any remaining sign on the coding look for any signs of tampering with his memory files of his human. He had no recollection of him."

"And if I find them, Lord Megatron?" Knockout asked.

Megatron halted on his way out of the medical bay, "Notify me. Meanwhile, I shall take the disk with the coding to Soundwave for analysis. Once we know everyone involved in making it I shall destroy it."

Knockout turned back to his patient as Megatron left. "Well, Little 'Bee, it's just you and I now. Shall I get to work then?" Bumblebee was silent, obviously and Knockout set to work. "Excellent. First a systems check and then I'll get around to cleaning and repairing your minor injuries, but I'll save the bath for when you wake, shall I? Yes, I dare say—" A beeping at a side monitor made Knockout pause, his analysis of the strange organic matter he had found on Bumblebee's form was complete. "Now, let's see what this—" Knockout froze, looking back at the Autobot before deleting the information from the screen. "Lord Megatron does not have to know about that."

Up on the bridge Soundwave turned as Megatron entered the room. "Soundwave, I have the code, are you prepared to run an analysis?"

Soundwave nodded and moved a computer, one separate from the systems of the _Nemesis_ to prevent the slave code from infecting the ship in case it got loose. The communications officer took the disk from Megatron and inserted it into the computer. The code appeared on the screen and Soundwave got to work separating the various strings to reach the base of the coding in order to study that first.

"Wait," Megatron said, "enhance that string of code on the right." Soundwave did so and Megatron took a second to digest the writing before roaring in anger, "NO!"

The Vehicons jumped at their stations and Dreadwing stepped forward. "Lord Megatron, what is it?"

Megatron looked at the coding in disgust, "I know who wrote that slave code, and I swear before all of you that _he_," the Decepticon leader spat, "will not go unpunished!"

**AN: Who wrote the code? Any ideas? I narrowed the field down a little bit for you guys by identifying the culprit as a mech, so have fun.**

**Decepticons: 6**

**Autobots: 3**


	14. Chapter 14

**Cape Magician: I didn't put a human category because it's called Transformers, not Humans and Transformers. That was a thing that made me mad in the first three films was the unnecessary Awkward Sam in High School, Awkward Sam going to college, and Insecure Sam trying to get a job. Who cares? I mean, I was glad the military was helping the 'bots out and not just sitting out but come on! And don't get me started on Sam's parents or Simmons or Leo or, well you get the picture. Also, you don't have to choose a faction, I'm not making you, I just thought it be cool to see which side has the most fans. Some people like both sides and some people are neutral, it's all cool, okay?**

**Thunderweb: I needed a reason why the Autobots did not think of MECH right away, so, you know, yeah. I'm doing my own thing, so it's kind of AU and I'm not really following the Transformer Prime script, just borrowing a few things here and there. :)**

**DawnfireJazz: Welcome and thanks for the review! I'll have to look those two up.**

**TransformersBeeFan: Close but no cigar!**

**AN: You guys must have forgotten what Bumblebee did to make sure Silas didn't learn about Raf but, no matter, this chapter will explain.**

{Nemesis}

The bridge was silent following Megatron's declaration. The Vehicons looked blankly at each other before Dreadwing led them in a salute, "Hail Megatron!", echoed through the room. Megatron acknowledged them, waving them back to work before looking at Soundwave.

"We cannot afford to lose a moment, Soundwave, we do not know how deep he has entrenched himself in this system." Soundwave brought up the picture of a mech on his visor, "Yes, that is who I mean." Soundwave then played cartoon images of Megatron killing the mech. "Yes, I should have killed him when I had the chance. That is no matter now. Dreadwing, double the patrols throughout the ship, no one goes anywhere alone, and Soundwave will make entirely new security codes and lock down vital parts of the ship to top personnel access only. Then, Soundwave, you must work with Knockout on building a defense program against this slave code and any that will bear his signature. This was but a prototype, he will modify now that we have freed the Autobot scout." Megatron gazed out the port window, his posture stiff as dark memories stirred in his processor, "We cannot underestimate him, nor the human: Silas. Such actions in the past have only left us vulnerable for an attack such as this."

Soundwave brought up the Autobot symbol on his visor, indicating the team on Earth not the one currently in the Decepticon medical bay. "Yes, they are unaware of the danger but Prime would not believe me if I told him. The council made sure of that. When we have a defense program established I shall make contact with Optimus, until then, carry out my orders."

"_Lord Megatron_?" Knockout's voice came over the intercom system. "_I have found what you charged me to find and I am also ready to bring Bumblebee out of recharge_."

"Very well, Knockout, I am on my way."

Knockout disconnected his equipment from Bumblebee and tapped a finger against the restraints. It would probably be better to leave those on until the scout acknowledged that they were not going to hurt him. Yes, they did not need Bumblebee to be jumping around the medical bay like a panicked sparkling and most likely scratch up the now unblemished plates.

The medic had sanded all the scratches, revealing Bumblebee's silver-plating underneath the paint, but he had refrained from getting rid of the unflattering paintjob all together. For one Bumblebee still needed a thorough run through the washer before the unwanted paintjob could be scraped off and second, no way was Knockout going to do anything to the mech without is say so, unless it pertained to his continued health.

Megatron entered the medical bay and surveyed the recharging Bumblebee for a second. The scout's frame had improved greatly since he had first been brought on board but he was by no means fully recovered. The ex-gladiator knew, better than anyone, the inner scars that would not heal as quickly as the outer tears.

"What did you find, Knockout?"

"While accessing Bumblebee's main frame I came across two locked files. Both were keyed to medical release codes only, which immediately caught my attention. As you can see, one was for his battle mask, I hazard a guess that he locked it in place prior to the slave code be introduced to his system. The second was a folder of memory files, all of his human ward."

"He locked those memories away were not even he could touch them?"

"Correct, Lord Megatron. This lock was done only a few hours before you took him." Megatron's eyes showed his unease at the revelation, "Yes, something happened after the slave code was downloaded into his system, while he was still in Silas' clutches, that made him do the one thing he could do in his present state to protect the boy."

Megatron folded his arms across his chest, "Do you think he has sufficiently recharged?"

"Given the time his systems have had to rest since you forced stasis lock on him I would say yes, Lord Megatron."

"Wake him then."

Knockout brushed a finger gently between the front neck wires and Bumblebee's blue optics came online.

[**Wha**—] Bumblebee did not finish, his eyes widening as he heard the half beep emerge from his radio.

"Bumblebee?" Knockout prompted.

[**Sorry, it's just, I couldn't even use my tones before**.]

"Do you remember everything that happened, little scout?" Megatron asked.

Bumblebee shuddered, [**Yes. You helped me, you erased the code, I can't hear his voice anymore**.] The scout's optics shuttered briefly, before looking at Megatron. [**Why did you help me**?]

"Would you rather have preferred that I left you in Silas' clasp?"

[**No**!] The beep was blared, fear filling the blue optics that looked at the two Decepticons. [**Any fate must be better than that. I couldn't move, I couldn't fight him no matter how hard I tried to stop him. I couldn't stop myself from kill**—]

"None of that, Bumblebee," Knockout said. "You were not responsible for the humans' dying."

Bumblebee wearily looked at the medic, [**Never thought you'd give **_**me**_** a talk on responsibility**.]

"My, what big words you know, youngling," Knockout said.

"Knockout has some memories he would like to return to you," Megatron said. "These are memories that you locked down so that Silas could not get them."

Bumblebee narrowed his eyes as he tried to concentrate, [**I… I had to protect something.**] He looked at Knockout, [**Did I**?]

The young mech looked so hopeful that he had succeeded that Knockout could not delay in answering, "Yes, you did. Now, with your permission," the medic transformed a servo into an instrument to access the medical port, "I will unlock them for you."

Bumblebee eyed the servo warily, [**They… They are important memories, aren't they?]**

"You'll remember someone, who, I daresay, means a great deal to you and is your friend."

Megatron watched as Bumblebee finally nodded and Knockout tilted the small 'bot's head to the side. It took a second for Knockout to find the locked memory file and open it and they watched as Bumblebee's eyes dimmed as the memories were restored to his processor. Then Megatron looked away as the scout's body twitched and he warbled sorrowfully.

[**Raf. I forgot Raf**.] He shook his head, [**I had to do it, though, I had to protect him, keep him safe**.]

"Why?" Megatron asked, "Why did he need to be protected to such extremes?"

Bumblebee trembled, [**MECH, Silas, they wanted a human test subject, organic slave coding. Had to protect him! There was a mech, Silas had a mech, could access my processor, find Raf. Wanted me to bring a human for testing, had to protect Raf!]**

Most of Bumblebee's beeps and whistles escaped translation the first time through as the scout was panicking. Megatron got the gist of what the scout was trying to say though and felt the sickening dread that had been growing in him since he had discovered the maker of the slave code suddenly escalate. Everything was turning out worse than he had originally thought.

"Bumblebee, you must calm down. Your charge is safe, Raf is safe," Knockout grabbed hold of the scout's head, making him look at the medic. "You have not failed your guardian duties, the boy is safe."

Bumblebee was barely aware of how he could access his fans to cool himself down. [You are sure?]

"Absolutely," Knockout promised, uncomfortable because not only was he making a promise but he was doing so to an Autobot. But patients came first, then personal feelings.

Megatron turned to leave, "Take him to be washed, Knockout, and if he wishes to change his paint and alt mode he may do so."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." As soon as the Decepticon lord was gone, however, Knockout deactivated the security cameras and turned to his patient, "Bumblebee, I give you my word as a medic that anything you tell me I will lock under doctor/patient confidentiality unless it is something dangerous or will affect the crew of the _Nemesis_. Now, I will take you to the wash racks and I recommend that you leave your windows open so that everything can be thoroughly washed." Bumblebee looked up in alarm at the medic, "Yes, I know what happened, not the why or how, but this is something that will remain between you and me. It would only fuel Megatron's anger unnecessarily anyway."

**AN: Updates will be slower after this since I'm off housesitting now and so have work and need to get back to editing my book for publishing. So stay tuned, I will update, just not as quickly as I have this past week.**

**Decepticons: 7**

**Autobots: 4**


	15. Chapter 15

**Shald120: Welcome and thanks for the review! Don't worry, I will continue I just have stuff loading up on my plate now so when I fend the time I will update. Glad you like Knockout.**

**Starfire201: Noted, I will certainly make Silas pay.**

**Asher Tye: Glad to have you back and thanks. Megatron restoring Bee's memories will be explained but good job figuring some of it out. It's just a yellow T-shirt, seriously, was I the only one who found it odd that the children in T. Prime rarely changed color clothes? But hey, that's an idea; maybe I'll use it. I'm with you on the Twins, I'm making Sideswipe the friendlier of the two while Sunstreaker is a bit standoffish but still capable of showing that he cares at the moments when it counts.**

**Guest: Yep, Bee is seriously weirded out. **

**Thunderweb: Thanks!**

**1sunfun: Welcome and thanks for the review. **

(Autobot base)

Optimus had become concerned after the two-hour mark of the younger 'bots' absence from base. A com with Sideswipe had verified that they were all right, just having difficulties finding the right alt modes. Prime had tried to tell them not to be too picky, this was Jasper, Nevada after all, but he knew that nothing but perfection would entice Sunstreaker to take on a human car as an alt mode.

Blurr had already returned to base an hour ago. The young 'bot had chosen a blue 1968 Corvette Stingray with gray racing stripes. While the fast-talking Autobot had been more than willing to talk non-stop about his new alt mode he had, uncharacteristically, hushed up about where the Twins were and what models they were looking at.

The rest of the Autobots had to wait another two hours before the Twins sent a com that they were returning. When they entered the base Ratchet had sputtered incoherently as Raf, wearing his Autobot shirt, got out of Sideswipe and the two brothers stayed in alt mode. Sunstreaker was, unashamedly, basking in the gawking faces and Sideswipe moved a bit back and forth to catch the lighting off his shiny finish.

Miko and Jack were not able to say anything for several minutes. Raf smiled slightly at the two show-off Twins, he had to admit that seeing Ratchet speechless was a sight not seen often. What made the scene even more priceless was the fact that Miko was as speechless as the medic.

"Where in the whole state of Nevada did you find Lamborghinis?!"

{_Nemesis_}

Bumblebee looked at his shiny silver frame and warbled. After the paintjob MECH had given him had been scraped away he had enjoyed an hour of just going continually back through the wash racks again and again. Who knew that being able to take a warm bath would be considered a luxury?

_I'll never take anything for granted again_, Bumblebee thought. He still could not believe that he was able to move his body, his fingers, his peds, all on his own. _Who knew anyone could have joy from being able to walk on his own_? _Oh, Primus, I will never abuse your gifts again_.

Bumblebee finally exited the washroom and found Knockout waiting for him. The Deceptcion medic was going through a data pad and looked up at the scout's exit from the room he had occupied for about as long as Knockout had thought he would. "Well Bumblebee, I must say your looks have improved greatly. Now," he held out the pad, "I have here the specs for your original Camaro alt mode you may download it and then we'll get you paintjob done."

Bumblebee stared at the pad but did not take it. He wanted, more than anything, to get rid of the last physical proof of Silas' changes but was unsure if going back to his previous alt mode would be all that comfortable. After all, that was the form he had been captured in, the one Silas had first… Bumblebee shook his head and took a step back, realizing after several seconds that his air intake had increased.

"Bumblebee?" There was nothing but concern in Knockout's red optics, "I can find you a more comfortable alt mode for the time being if you prefer?" Bumblebee nodded hesitantly and Knockout set to work, after a few seconds he handed the pad to the scout.

Bumblebee took the pad and scanned the alt mode's specs listed. It was a 2013 Hyundai HND-9 Sports Coupe Concept, not a type of car he would ever have selected but for now it was friendly. Within a second he had downloaded the specs and was shifting into his new alt mode, but no sooner had he finished transforming then he was back in his bipedal mode.

Knockout said nothing about the quick change back and forth. Bumblebee looked at the medic and while Knockout was indeed curious he withheld his questions for the time being. "Do you wish to get a paintjob?"

Bumblebee looked down at his unadorned plating. Every mech and femme got a paintjob, it helped define their name and uniqueness, being as much a part of them as their arms or legs. Yet Bumblebee shook his head and whirled a low tone in response. He was not ready to go back to his original coloring, especially when his alt mode was so unlike him, but neither did he want a new paintjob as any other color was definitely not him.

[**I…I can't**]

"That's fine," said Knockout, "it would probably be best to take this slow anyway. Now, are you feeling up to a chat with Lord Megatron? He wants you to recharge if your systems need it but he did say that if you are comfortable speaking to him now there are a few questions he would like to ask you."

[**Ask me**?]

"He will not force you to answer, Bumblebee, but the information you hold could be vital. Lord Megatron's main goal right now is to stop this from happening to anyone else."

Bumblebee shifted on his peds, [**Even if they're an Autobot**?]

"He saved you, didn't he?"

Bumblebee shook his head, [**I'm not an Autobot, not anymore**.]

Knockou was silent, wondering if now was a good time to argue or trying a different approach to healing the internal scars. "That's neither here nor there at the moment, regardless of affiliation or faction, Lord Megatron will is working on a program to give every mech and femme a defense against that abominable program."

Bumblebee hesitated as he stared at Knockout. There were so many questions churning in his processor, at the top of the list was his returned memories of Raf. Why had Megatron bothered to have Knockout return them? Why help him and bother caring for his comfort zone as far as alt modes and paintjobs went?

Megatron wanted to talk and at this point it certainly would not hurt. Might as well see what the gigantic 'bot wanted and hope some of his own questions would be answered in the process. [**I'll talk to him**.]

**AN: Sorry for the wait, so much stuff to work on and deadlines creeping up, but I wanted to get this out to you, my loyal fans, in thanks for your support. Almost 100 reviews, I can scarcely believe it! This is my most popular fic as of this moment. **


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: WOW! Over 100 reviews and 6000 views! You guys are amazing! Was very stunned with all the compliments people were giving and look three new comers! Can only hope when my story gets published that it does as well as this if not better.**

**Answerthecall: Welcome and thanks for review! **

**Shald120: Are you German? Just trying to place the ja and German was all I could think of.**

**TheOddAngel: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**RaphaelplusMikey: Welcome and thanks for the review! You're probably right but don't worry about it, I won't bring it up again.**

**Chapter summary: Soundwave takes center stage!**

{_Nemesis_}

Bumblebee was surprised when Knockout did not lead him to the bridge. The medic instead brought him to a large room two levels from the bridge and Bumblebee almost backpedaled out when he saw who was there. Megatron, Soundwave and Dreadwing were standing next to a large view screen and terminal.

"An improvement," Megatron said, though he knew it would take some time to get used to Bumblebee's undecorated frame. Hopefully the scout would mend enough to revert to his originally coloring before long; there was just something disturbing about seeing a Cybertronian with unpainted plates. Perhaps it was the equivalent was a human walking naked among a group of clothed humans, though the Autobot was less of an eyesore. Still, all three Decepticons silently agreed with each other that seeing Bumblebee clean and no longer sporting red optics was definitely an improvement.

"Indeed, Lord Megatron," Knockout said, smiling. On the outside the medic appeared relaxed, but inside he knew Bumblebee's growing unease would explode sooner rather than later but there was no avoiding it.

"Little scout," Megatron spoke, earning Bumblebee's nervous attention, "were it possible, you would be given more time to come to terms with the abuse you were dealt, but time is not on your side in this case. We need to know everything about where you were held in hopes of finding MECH's base and destroying it. Is Silas is not stopped he will go after the only Cybertronians landlocked on the planet: the Autobots."

Bumblebee could not argue with the wisdom of Megatron's words. Mentally he snorted, who knew he would ever think the Decepticon leader as wise? **[It was underground**,] Bumblebee beeped lowly. [**They used a large warehouse to hide the elevator shaft. I was only brought topside a couple of times and I did not manage to get a good look around but it was quite a desolate place**.]

Megatron nodded, "Soundwave needs to see your memories in order to be able to find it using the satellites. He also will draw a rough diagram of the MECH'S base from the rooms you were moved through."

Bumblebee shook his head and backed up. This was a bad idea, a very bad idea. He should have expected this, however, he should have prepared himself for this. Knockout had promised to keep doctor/patient confidentiality but using Soundwave to breach Bumblebee's memories would protect the medic's oath.

"Bumblebee," Knockout was at his side, a hand on his arm, urging him to halt his retreat. Air whooshed through Bumblebee's valves as he inhaled sharply, who knew he would ever fear betrayal from Knockout? Primus had a sense of humor it seemed, no matter though, no one was getting inside his head again.

Bumblebee wrenched his arm from Knockout and turned to the door. He did not make it two steps from Dreadwing had a hold of him, now the second-in-command's presence was explained. The seeker's hold was firm his fingers were not crushing their strength into the scout's limbs which Bumblebee found odd.

"Bumblebee, don't struggle!" Knockout tried to calm the younger mech, "Soundwave is an expert at mental links, he will make this painless and he will not view any of your memories that does not include with his mission. He will seek only images of the base and the area around the warehouse."

Bumblebee shook his head, [**No**!] Uselessly he thrashed in Dreadwing's hold, [**I won't let this happen again, I won't**!]

Soundwave was before him in an instant and Bumblebee found himself looking at his reflection in the TIC's faceplate. The communications seeker remained silent, unsurprisingly, as he lifted his hands and held them several inches away from Bumblebee's head. Soundwave did not move, just continued to stare at the panicking scout who was making the most pitiful warbles of distress.

Megatron stayed where he was and watched. The situation was less than ideal, that was certain, but they simply had no time to tiptoe around the issue. Once they had the information then Bumblebee would have time to heal, Megatron promised that much.

Bumblebee's blue optics were as wide as they could be. Dreadwing held onto him firmly and Soundwave had gone still, Knockout was looking back and forth like he hoped a less distressing option would present itself. The scout shook his head at the Decepticon third-in-command, beeping his denial at having his memories viewed against his will.

Very slowly Soundwave extended a finger from each hand and touched the sides of Bumblebee's helm. The scout froze when he felt a presence brush against his processor but go no further, as if waiting for permission to enter. He warbled in surprise at this new revelation and wondered if any of the other Autobots suspected. Soundwave was a telepath, perhaps the last of his kind, and his message was clear: _I will not force my way in_.

Bumblebee shuddered as he saw the TIC with new eyes. Soundwave being telepathic explained his expert hacking and communications skills, how he was always so quick to outmaneuver the Autobot strike teams or know where they were. Yet, he could have destroyed hundreds of Autobots with his power, he could be ripping his way through Bumblebee's processor right now with a single thought.

_Telepathy was forced upon me_, Soundwave whispered at the edge of his processor. _I was compelled to hurt many for the simple enjoyment of the one who gave it to me, who robbed me of my voice in favor of enhancing my mental abilities, who made me a slave to his every whim. When Lord Megatron released me I swore to never harm another with this cursed power and I will not break my oath now. Let me in, Bumblebee. I will not hurt you; to do so would be hurting myself in the process for while our processors are linked I will feel what you feel. I swear to you by the AllSpark, that you have but to say no and I will leave a memory alone. I know you want Silas stopped as much as we do, so help us find the means to do so_.

Bumblebee shivered at the voice in his head. It was neither cold nor passionate, just speaking words emotionlessly. Had all emotion been pulled out of the soundless seeker?

[Allright,] Bumblebee found himself saying, surprising himself as well as everyone else.

His fans kicked in to cool his systems down. He could feel Soundwave sifting through his recent memories, viewing the times when he was brought out of MECH's base and the rooms he had seen. It was over before he knew it, utterly painless and he had not been forced to review the memories with Soundwave for more than a microsecond. It had been painless and he found his spark's beat slowing down.

Soundwave lowered his hands and took a step back. [**Wait**.] Dreadwing had released Bumblebee at a nod from the slighter seeker and now they all looked at the scout, [**Who experimented on you**?]

Soundwave hesitated and then looked at Megatron. The Decepticon leader stepped forward and looked down at Bumblebee. "The same one who helped MECH make the slave code that imprisoned you: Shockwave."

{Autobot base}

"What did you want to talk to me about Sunny?" Raf asked as he walked into the Twins' room.

The Twins looked down at him before Sideswipe crouched to offer him a hand up. "Listen, squishy," Sunstreaker said, "there ain't nothing been done around here to find Bumblebee. No leads, no trails, no clues, zippo."

"Natta," piped up Sideswipe.

"Zilch. It's been too long and the powers that be are dragging too slow getting anything done. Paperwork, government channels, asking nicely, none of that means a thing to us. Finding Bumblebee does. Sides and I have been thinking and we've agreed that the Decepticons had been too quiet, ya don't up and leave a system when ya've got a good thing going for ya, see? Ol' Megatron don't back off for nothing."

"Not nobody, no how."

"So, we connected the dots. First that mysterious Decepticon attacks a base and an airport and then Megatron leaves. That's fishy right there so here's what we need, half-pint, we need you to use your whiz skills on your laptop and find all info on those attacks. Bumblebee needs to come home and it looks like we're the only ones who have the clear-thinking processors to find him. So, ready to get started?"

Raf nodded quickly, he did not need time to think this through. "Let's get to it."

**AN: So, I finally revealed who made the code, thought I wouldn't hold you guys in suspense over that anymore. Hope it was a surprise to some of you. Anyway, review, as always, and tell me what you thought of Soundwave.**

**Decepticons: 8**

**Autobots: 4**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Wow, you guys received the last chapter very well. Although some of you were off the mark, which is ok 'cause that means I'm doing an excellent job burying the clues in these chapters. Go back and read chapter 9 is all I will say.**

**Starfire201: Glad you liked Soundwave, originally I was going to have the chapter be a little different but then Soundwave stole the limelight. Since I'm using the Shockwave from Transformers Prime I completely forgot that in the original he had a yellow optic. **

**Asher Tye: You Italian? Yep, I wanted Soundwave unique and also to give him a reason for being blindly loyal to Megatron as well as why he's such a valued crewmember. **

**AwesomeSsuce221B: Thanks for the review and welcome. Yep, Soundwave really surprised me on that one. **

**Stitchar: Hope your phone's all right, while I wanted to shock some people I do not want to cause anyone a heart attack or technical damage. So everyone stay with me. Also, re-read chapter 10, where they talk about the slave code and then chapter 13 where Megatron finds out who made the base lining for the slave code currently in use. **

**Thunderweb: Completely made up Soundwave's origin on the fly and was like, 'hey, this is good!' And was that Shockwave? You sure? :)**

**Answerthecall: Nope, it isn't good but wait till Megatron gets his hands on him.**

**RaphaelplusMikey: Thanks; I think I definitely might be developing his character more since he did so well last chapter.**

**Insert something creative: Welcome and thanks for the review. Lle creoso, ta nae amin saesa, tenna' ento lye omenta.**

**Chapter summary: Megatron does not mollycoddle, absolutely not at all.**

{_Nemesis_}

_Shockwave_? The name vibrated through Bumblebee's processor like a death toll. He had heard stories, everyone had, about the experiments carried out in a dark dungeon in Tarn. Then there had been those Autobots and Neutrals who had been found, more dead than alive, and so twisted from their original forms that even their own friends had not recognized them. Those survivors, if they could be called as such, spoke of torturous methods that varied from one to the other but always they agreed on the blinding red optic and the deep baritone voice that always promised more pain.

It was said that Shockwave worked in the name of science. That he explored every avenue available to better deepen his knowledge of the inner workings of mechs, femmes, and other life forms. Everyone had agreed, even Decepticons, that Shockwave had no conscious, no emotion to draw the line, he was all too willing to logically compel himself to keep on going. None of his experiments had been comforted when he had told them that their suffering was enriching the realm of science.

Bumblebee moaned in distress and backed up. It was too much; it was far too much for his processor to handle now! So much that he had known, or thought to be true was crumbling around him. Soundwave was a telepath, was forced to become one by a member of his own faction. Knockout was not a sadistic moron and Megatron… Bumblebee looked up at the Decepticon leader who was watching him with hard red optics. The scout had the feeling that Megatron understood far better than even Prime could hope to.

"Leave us," Megatron ordered, and both his second lieutenants headed for the door without question. Knockout hesitated, his medic instinct not willing to abandon his patient to his leader's tender mercy. "That means you as well, Knockout."

"My lord, perhaps it would be better if I stayed—"

Megatron growled deep in his throat as he reached for Knockout, "You would dare to—!"

[**Stop**!] Bumblebbe shouted, rushing forward to grab Megatron's arm but stopping when the Decepticon leader turned in his direction. [**Don't…don't hurt him**.]

Bumblebee hated how he pleaded but the move had been all too familiar. Megatron had grabbed him like that back at Tyger Pax and within moments had crushed his vocoder. One thing he did know remained true and that was Megatron's legendary temper but Bumblebee was sure that was hardly a good thing.

Megatron and Knockout studied Bumblebee before the Decepticon leader released the medic. "I believe you were leaving, _doctor_."

"So I was," Knockout said, and quickly exited the room.

Bumblebee backed up a step as Megatron turned to face him fully. "Stop." Megatron commanded but the scout shook his head frantically and continued to move away. The Decepticon stood tall, not trying at all to make himself look less intimidating, "Are you afraid of me, little scout?"

The question brought Bumblebee up short. When he had first come up against Megatron, back on Tyger Pax, he had been incredibly cocky and feared nothing. The Decepticon leader had quickly disillusioned him of the notion that he was invincible; the ripping out of his voice box had been a crippling blow to his ego as well as his self-esteem. Optimus had taken the blow just as hard and held Bumblebee back from facing Megatron again for several years. The Autobot scout had recovered though from the loss of his voice and, with just a reminder that he could be hurt as much as though around him, he worked hard to hone his fighting skills.

He had feared Megatron for a while, just remembered what the older mech was responsible for. Bumblebee wanted to respond that he did not fear the Decepticon, that he was ready to take him on in a fight, but the truth was that he was afraid. Bumblebee had witnessed firsthand how easily control had been taken from him, how he had been forced to do the bidding of another no matter how distasteful or dishonorable the deed was. Megatron could just as simply make him obey as Silas had done, angering the bigger mech might not be the smartest thing after all.

[**Yes**,] Bumblebee beeped lowly.

"Why are you afraid of me?" Megatron advanced, encroaching on Bumblebee's personal space and the scout backed away. Bumblebee shook his head, he could not answer. "Do you fear me because you think I will do as Silas did? The slave code is in my hands now, what will stop me from putting it back in your frame?"

Bumblebee was backed up against the wall now. He moaned his distress, optics moving about frantically in search of a means to escape but there was none. Megatron placed his hands on either side of Bumblebee, making sure he could go nowhere in a hurry. Unable to look into the gleaming red optics anymore, Bumblebee hung his head pathetically and nodded.

Megatron punched the wall hard and Bumblebee jumped. "Honor! That is what will stop me, little scout! I swore an oath to never allow leave any mech or femme under the servitude of a slave code ever again!" Megatron gazed down at the frightened blue optics, staring up at him with fear and he sighed, "You are too young, you would not know of the golden days of Cybertron and of those who suffered to smooth the lifestyle of those who lived in places like Iacon. You would not have seen the mechs and femmes who were forced again and again into the gladiator ring to bring sport to those who had nothing better to do but sit on their lazy afts and throw gold credits to the winners. None of those gladiators fought because they wanted to, we all had a slave code downloaded into our processors from the moment we awakened after the AllSpark had sent our sparks into our forms. That was the beginning, from there the slave code spread throughout Cybertron's infrastructure and to its colonies." Bumblebee was sure that his optics could not widen any further. "Unlike you we were not trapped in our minds, we could move on our own as the slave coders did not want to give us specific orders in order for us to be able to move. It was this small freedom that allowed me the ability to find a way to get rid of my slave code and free others. With the help of a librarian, named Orion Pax, I went before the Golden Council and informed them that if they did not delete the code on their own I would do it. The council thought they could sway me by giving Orion Pax the mantle of the Primes, surely I would not lead a rebellion with my best friend leading the opposing forces?"

[**No!**] Bumblebee shouted, ducking and heading for the door but Megatron grabbed him. [**I won't listen to this! Prime would never condone such a code! You're trying to deceive me**!]

"Listen little scout!" Megatron shook Bumblebee, "Every word I have spoken is the truth, of that you may be certain! I chose the name Decepticon for my faction, not the council as you were told, do you know why? Not because we were the deceivers but because we were liberating the deceived!"

Bumblebee air valves hiccupped as he fought to control himself. [But why then—? Why would Prime—?]

"Orion had the fatal flaw to see good where there was none, to seek the more peaceful route even in times when only action would solve the dispute. Perhaps he thought that by taking the place as the next prime he would be in a better position to find a less violent solution that would please both sides." Megatron caught Bumblebee's optics in a an unforgiving stare, "But accepting anything from the council binds you in more ways to their will than you would think."

Bumblebee's spark stuttered, [**You**… **You think they did something to him?]**

"I have thought that might be the case. I was hoping when he had amnesia to get a chance to run a processor diagnostic but I never got the chance. I would like nothing better, little scout, then to have my friend once again and this war ended.'

[**But you're not all good**,] protested Bumblebee, before he groaned and face palmed. Now he understood the human expression of sticking a foot in one's mouth.

"Explain."

[**You… You hurt me, you hurt many during this war and I can swear on my honor that there were those who did not know why this fight was going on**.]

Megatron raised a hand, one digit extending but not quite touching Bumblebee's neck. "I have a temper, little scout, as you are well aware of. When I saw that Optimus Prime had ejected the AllSpark into space I was filled with rage, and you were the closest I could vent upon. That is no excuse, I know, but my temper is a lasting defect from my gladiator days and seeing the AllSpark leave Cybertron was a sight I shall never forget."

[**But Prime had to eject it, to protect the AllSpark from you**.]

Megatron looked at Bumblebee with a sadness in his optics that the young 'bot did not think would ever be possible. "Foolish little scout, did Prime think I would harm the AllSpark? Even I, arrogant as I can be, would never dare to touch the gift of Primus. I wanted only to reach those new protoforms that were being prepared for sparks and to make sure that they were free of the slave code, that was my sole mission."

[**Oh**,] beeped Bumblebee, and really, what more could he say?

Megatron turned away from the scout. "Knockout is no doubt outside and will escort you to your quarters. You will not be required to help us from this point on as you need to heal from your ordeal."

Bumblebee felt anger rise within him, [**I want to stop MECH**!]

Megatron lifted an optic ridge at him, "Oh? You are ready to face Silas then?"

[**I'm ready to stop him**!] Bumblebee said quickly, too quickly.

"Then report to Knockout to be repainted your old colors and transform into your alt mode." Bumblebee froze, memories springing up before his optics before he hurriedly pushed them away. "You haven't transformed since I rescued you, have you?" Bumblebee did not answer, but then he did not have to and Megatron nodded, "You're not ready. When you are ready to become Bumblebee the Autobot scout again, then, and only then, will I allow you to take part in any plans we make regarding Shockwave or MECH. Until then you will focus on coming to terms with what was done to you and heal, nothing else should concern you at this time."

Before Bumblebee could speak Megatron had left the room. Knockout entered and looked over his patient as if inspecting for scratches or dents, perhaps he was. "So I take it, it went well?"

Bumblebee sagged on his wheels and crossed his arms over his chest plates. [He wants me to heal, how can I heal? How does one recover from this?]

"Baby steps, Bumblebee," Knockout said, as he carefully placed an arm over the scout's shoulders and lead him out of the room. "Baby steps.

**AN: So, should the bad guys get some screen time? Or would you rather be held in suspense as what they're doing? What say you?**

**Decepticons: 8**

**Autobots: 5 **


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: So keep suspense but give just a tiny glimpse into what the bad guys are doing? Got it! Here's my attempt to please both sides, let me know if I succeed. **

**64: Welcome and thanks for the review!**

**Tamersten: glad to have you back!**

**Thunderweb; Megatron could always use some more love I think, just don't try to hug him in public; he needs to uphold his reputation after all.**

**Sora Matasuki: Glad you're going to stay tuned, welcome and thanks for the review!**

**Stitchar: definitely more going on that either Prime or Megatron knows.**

**Gajeel-rocks: Welcome and thanks for the review!**

**TransfomersBeeFan: Yep, just trying something different. My family lives by the rule 'there are two sides to every story', so watching Trans. Prime I got the idea to do this.**

**Chapter summary: Starscream learns the hard way **_**not**_** to make a deal with the devil.**

[Shockwave's Lab— dun dun dun!]

The towering mech was not clumsy in his movements. Most Cybertronians Shockwave's size would never be called graceful or be credited with the ability to move light on their pedes, but he walked with a class all his own. He was as tall as Megatron but wider and stockier built, his original function being a deep miner operator.

In the early stages of Megatron's rebellion the Tarn mine had been one of the first places the Decepticon leader had liberated. The mine had been a priority given the deplorable conditions in which the miners had to work, many off-lined daily risking their lives to bring up fresh amounts of high-grade energon for the rich caste. The slave code was necessary to keep the miners working, no matter if they saw a comrade fall hurt or dead the mine owners had one priority and that was to fill their quota.

With the liberation of the mine Shockwave had earned Megatron's attention. Megatron had been impressed by the other mech's ability to logically work out problems, not knowing that Shockwave had personally delved into his own processor to wipe out his emotion chip. The miner had done so to preserve his sanity in seeing so many of his co-workers die daily and had logically thought that separating himself from the situation emotionally was the only answer.

Shockwave had turned down Megatron's proposal to lead the heavy grounder Decepticons. The mech had instead turned to science as a means of answering his race's problems. Like Prime, Shockwave did not think that war would solve the issues on Cybertron but unlike Optimus the miner-turned-scientist did not think negotiation would help either.

The Tarn mech took over as leader of his city. Shockwave delved deeper into the scientific arts, his experiments turning darker and twisted the further his studying went. To solve the conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons Shockwave first had to understand the Cybertronian body. He took captured Autobtos and botnapped Neutrals to his lab where he took them apart and put them back together in a different order. Not many knew it but Shockwave was responsible for Arachnid's mutation, as well as her advancement in the ranks of the Decepticons in the interrogation department. Arachnid was the only survivor of his mutation phase who was happy with how deadly he had made her.

Shockwave had been making progress in his studies. Then it had all been over, Megatron had finally gotten wind of his activities and come to Tarn like an avenging father goes after the one who had wronged his child. Megatron had almost killed him that day, no doubt thought that he had, but Shockwave always a contingency plan for every one of his actions.

After the destruction of his lab and work in Tarn, Shockwave had decided to lay low. He had set a watch on Megatron's movements while he himself burrowed deep into Cybertron and continued most of his experiments in theory only. His once praised logical processor went through more than five hundred scenarios a day, until he finally came to the solution to the ending the war.

Then Earth had been discovered and the war had been brought to the organic planet. From a distance, Shockwave had studied the doings of both the Autobots and the Decepticons on the small planet and had made a few changes to his plan. Earth was a lot like Cybertron, its people split into too many factions and war always around the corner. The humans would never come to peace on their own, they, like the Cybertronians, did not know what was best for them. Still, it would be a simple matter to sway the more easily manipulated to his way of thinking; they let their own governments' rule their lives more than they knew after all.

Shockwave walked around the large table with a calculating optic. The 'bot that lay captive in the restraints had been too easy to take down, but starvation made even the most skeptical of mechs less paranoid. No doubt the seeker had thought himself too important to Shockwavem who was a grounder, and so had no need to think of betrayal. Foolish really, particularly since this mech bound before him thrived on double-crossing and betraying himself.

A groan from the table alerted him to the seeker's on-lining systems. A small concentrated EMP had taken the mech down without a fight, just as Shockwave preferred it to be. Two red optics opened and shuttered while the mech's processor tried to make sense of what had happened. The silver, grayish head turned to look at him and had it meant anything to Shockwave he might have basked in the seeker's fear but the larger mech was as unaffected as ever.

"Shockwave? What are you doing?' The seeker tried to move; only finding himself restrained and panic flooded his nervous system. "Why am strapped down? I thought we were allies!"

"Logistics show that there is a 97% chance you will betray me or flee when you've had enough. I am merely taking precautions that you will not do so. I have need of a seeker for my plans therefore I cannot allow you to leave, ever." Shockwave went to a nearby computer terminal and pushed a few buttons. Then he grabbed a joystick type device and began to move it.

The seeker looked up and saw two cables coming down at him. They reminded him of the cables used for a cortical psychic patch but the ends had been modified into sharp spikes that promised pain on entrance. Trying to twist away from the cables gave no results; the seeker was trapped and helpless. One cable hovered above his body, the other by his head.

"What is this? What are you doing? What are these things for?" The seeker screeched.

Shockwave left the terminal and came over to the table. "You were a deep space searcher before the war, you had very little contact with the different castes on Cybertron since you needed only to report to Iacon's science department before being sent off again." Shockwave grasped a cable, "The Golden council knew of a way to keep the lower castes in line and doing their dirty work without complaint. I have taken their previous code and modified it, interlaced it with organic coding to make it impossible for your own firewalls to stop. I have tested this code before and upgraded it, consider yourself another of my test subjects."

Before the seeker could protest Shockwave had grabbed his helm, opened the medical port and shoved the cable in. A second to download and then he watched impassively as the smaller mech's optics widened more with fear and looked about like a scared sparkling. "Open your lower port's outer door." The order bounced through the seeker's processor like a good idea and he complied.

Shockwave took the second cable and inserted it with a hard shove into the lower port. A whimper of pain as the sharp spike grazed the lighter plating of the port was the seeker's only reaction before the second part of the code was downloaded.

The scientist stepped back and hit a control for the restraints. The seeker did not move; only lay listlessly on the table as if he were deactivated. Shockwave nodded his helm, his single large red optic sweeping down the form of his newest addition. He approached the table again.

"You will remain on the table and not move." Shockwave pulled a tray of his instruments towards him; "You were a competent seeker before, but now I will remold you into a superior form of weaponry."

Trapped within his own processor Starscream could do nothing but watch.

**AN:** ***shudders*** **This was almost as hard to write as the Silas scenes. What did you guys think? I didn't reveal Shockwave's master plan, or how he's going to do it. Or anything about MECH. Did I succeed in pleasing those who wanted suspense and those who wanted bad guy screen time?**

**Decepticons: 8**

**Autobots: 5**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: A big welcome and thanks for your review to newcomers.**

**Igeegeei: loved the pun!**

{_Nemesis_ – Quarters Level}

_Stingray. My Stingray. Where are you? Don't you want your reward_?

Bumblebee snapped out of recharge and jumped out of his berth, smashing his back against the wall as he brought his blasters up to bear and his battle mask snapped down into place. His ventilation system took in huge intakes of air as he scanned the room, his body shaking with dread.

It took a few seconds for the scout to realize that the room was empty. Puzzled, Bumblebee slowly lower his blasters as he continued to look about the recharging room Megatron had had assigned to him. Another scan showed that there were no other life signs but his in the room, human or Cybertronian, he was alone.

He had heard that voice in his audio. Bumblebee was certain that he had not imagined it and he fearfully backed out of his quarters. Could he not be safe anywhere from Silas?

Feeling the need for companionship Bumblebee headed for Knockout's quarters. The medic was not that far away, only a few more rooms down from where Bumblebee had been quartered. The small scout hit the buzzer, hoping the medic would not be too put out at having his recharge disturbed.

The door opened and Knockout blinked at him in surprise. "Bumblebee? Shouldn't you be recharging?"

[**No. I mean, yes I should, but I— I'm sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed you.**] Bumblebee turned, mentally chiding himself for being such a coward.

"Wait." The 'bot turned and saw Knockout move aside, gesturing for him to enter, "Come on in, Bumblebee, I don't mind."

Hesitantly Bumblebee walked into Knockout's quarters. An array of knickknacks, some Cybertronian and some, surprisingly, human, were arranged around the room. Two berths were set a few feet apart next to one wall and Knockout sat down on one. "Nightmare?"

Bumblebee let out a surprised warble. [**How did you know**?]

"I'm a medic, Bumblebee, I wouldn't be able to do my job thoroughly if I couldn't read the signs right. Besides," Knockout paid particular attention to his claws, "Breakdown couldn't recharge alone after his run-in with MECH."

Bumblebee winced as he sat down on the other berth. Breakdown's death was obviously still fresh in Knockout's processor, not surprising since the two had been partners for such a long time. [**I'm sorry**.]

Knockout looked at him, "For what?"

[**It's not easy losing a partner**,] Bumblebee said, thinking of Arcee and how she had been reluctant taking Jack on after losing two partners.

Knockout shook his head, "Never mind about me, we're supposed to be talking about you. So, what was it about?"

Bumblebee shook his head, [**I could see nothing, just hear his voice**.]

"What did he say?"

Here the scout shuddered and wrapped his arms around his torso, [**I-I don't think I'm ready**.]

"I understand," said Knockout. "But as your physician it is my duty to point out that talking does help."

[**Did it help Breakdown**?]

"Yes." Knockout waited, and then said, "Are you calmer now?"

Bumblebee was glad he could not blush or else he would have been beet red at his sparkling behavior. [**Yes**.] Truth was, his systems had calmed down but he was by no means ready to be alone.

"Then you should try getting back to recharging, well rested systems help deal with this kind of trauma too. You go ahead and use that berth, Bumblebee, Breakdown wouldn't mind."

[**I can stay**?] Bumblebee beeped hopefully, it truly said something about his emotional state if he was willing to recharge in the same room as a Decepticon.

"Of course." Knockout got up and fiddled with a very large stereo system, "And your doctor knows the perfect prescription to give you a peaceful recharge." To Bumblebee's surprise, human classical music started playing at a low volume, "_Solveig's Song_ by Edvard Grieg," Knockout informed him, "which will then be followed by Smetana's _Moldau_. I discovered quite by accident how soothing listening to classical music could be after a hard day and it did wonders for Breakdown."

Knockout turned to see Bumblebee laying down on the birth, blue optics slowly shuttering. Grinning like a mad mech, Knockout dimmed the lights and lay down on his own berth. While he stretched out his frame horizontally Knockout noticed that Bumblebee curled up on his side to recharge. An odd position for a Cybertronian, Knockout had never seen any mech or femme recharge that way, usually grounders lay on their backs and seekers lay on their front. The only other mech Knockout had seen sleep on his side had been Breakdown, and that had been after MECH had tortured him.

Classical music helped Breakdown a lot, Knockout thought as he fell into recharge, but even it failed to get him to recharge on his back again.

[_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Megatron should have been recharging but there was one matter he needed to see to before he could. He bypassed the working Vehicons and found the isolated alcove where Soundwave had made his workstation. The communications officer was busily typing away at a keyboard and did not acknowledge his presence but Megatron was not fooled. Telepathy could be as equally a curse as well as a gift.

"Soundwave," Megatron said as he closed the door, giving them both privacy from the rest of the bridge. "I owe you an apology."

Those words, so foreign to his vocoder and to Soundwave too, who turned around quickly. The seeker regarded him in silence before a question mark appeared on his visor. It did not ease Megatron's conscious that Soundwave was oblivious to the cause of his declaration.

"When I broke into Shockwave's fortress in Tarn and discovered you I made you a vow: to kill him. You swore that if I stopped him you would swear loyalty to me for life, and you have stayed by my side through it all, even my bouts of madness." Here Megatron was thinking o the time Unicron had poisoned his processor with that insane idea that had nearly cost the deaths of all life on Earth and perhaps the galaxy as well. "There were times I felt I did not deserve your unquestioning loyalty, and now I realize that I never did. I was unable to keep my oath, Soundwave, your tormentor still lives and has harmed others. Had Bumblebee not been a priority I would have come to you sooner but we needed that information on MECH." Megatron walked forward, stopping before the silent seeker, "However, if you wish to terminate your affiliation with the Decepticon faction and leave I will not stop you."

Soundwave cocked his helm to the side and on his visor there appeared a drawing of the seeker with the _Nemesis_ on one side and Earth on the other. Question marks and arrow trails went in haphazard lines in every direction. His point was clear: where would he go?

"You could return to the Autobots," Megatron suggested, "once you told them who you once were they might accept you."

A picture of Optimus Prime appeared on Soundwave's visor with a large red x over it. The seeker lifted his hands, his stance asking permission and Megatron nodded. One finger from each hand touched the Decepticon's leader's helm and he felt Soundwave's presence connect with his own.

_I am no longer as I was_, Soundwave said, _Shockwave saw to that. To the Autobots my former self is dead, let it remain so, enough ghosts from the past have returned let us not add another. I am Soundwave, your third-in-command, I swore loyalty to you and I will not break my vow. I always knew that killing Shockwave would be no easy matter and all these years his memory has haunted my steps, let him torment me no longer. I am no longer the scared mutation you found all those years ago, I have accepted what I am and honed my new body and its terrible abilities. Shockwave will know the failure of logic when I am done with him_.

A beep at the terminal made them both turn. "What is that?"

Soundwave tapped a few keys before slumping. He reached out again to touch Megatron's helm. _I have failed over and over again to make a defense program to counteract Shockwave's slave code. The organic coding is proving to be most difficult_.

"Can you think of any means you could try to stop this code from taking over another mech?"

Soundwave hesitated, If I had an assistant the possibility of honing a defense program strong enough to disrupt the slave code would be that much stronger.

Megatron narrowed his optics at Soundwave before looking up at the screen where the seeker's failed attempt was displayed. "You're thinking of recruiting a human assistant, aren't you?" Soundwave nodded. "Do you have one in mind? I ask only because there are billions of the little things to choose from."

Soundwave brought up a picture on his visor and Megatron's optic ridges went up. "You cannot be serious!"

**AN: Oh sweet suspense, how you torment my readers so, :) **


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Wow, the reaction over what was revealed in the last chapter! Though none of you guys really commented on the scene between Knockout and Bumblebee, hmm. I really thought by chapter 20 i would be wrapping this fic up but now that I'm here I realize that I am nowhere near close to finishing.**

**Asher Tye: Yes, I love cliffhangers! **

**The Cybertonium Warrior: Welcome and thanks for the review and faction vote!**

**Allseer: I have a plan, just wait and see.**

**Autumnfloweres: What made you wary? Was it the first chapter? The summary? Anything I can do to improve either?**

**Ryder-hunter: Welcome and thanks for the review. As to your question, read and find out :)**

**64: I really am sorry for tormenting you… Wait, I take it back, nope not sorry at all.**

**Chapter summary: Raf has a very bad day.**

{Autobot Base}

"We found Bumblebee!" Raf screamed, as he and the Twins ran into the main control room.

The other Autobots turned at his words, "Impossible!" exclaimed Ratchet.

"Where?" asked Bulkhead.

Sideswipe lifted Raf and set him next to the terminal so that the little human could plug in his laptop. Raf wasted no time in bringing up a picture of the 'Decepticon' who attacked the military base in Alaska. "It's Bumblebee, see?" Raf highlighted several areas on the unknown mech, pointing out their similarities to his guardian.

"Raf," said Arcee, "I think you need—"

"That's Bumblebee!" Raf insisted. "Look at his optics. They may be red but I'd know them anywhere, that's my guardian!"

Optimus prime studied the picture and then looked down at Raf. "If you are correct, Raf, then Bumblebee has defected to the Decepticons."

"No!" the Twins cried, angrily stepping forward. "Bumblebee would never do that! Maybe they've processor-wiped him or—"

"A processor wipe takes time, more time than what elapsed between Bumblebee's disappearance and his attack on this base," Ratchet said.

"What are we going to do?" Arcee asked. "There's not something right about this, we know Bumblebee, the Twins practically raised him."

Sunstreaker nodded, "And we know out little brother. He would never do any of this by choice, the Decepticons have done something to him."

"What about MECH?" Raf jumped into the conversation. "Couldn't they have done something to him?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ratchet snapped. "The only thing MECH can do is mutilate our bodies and build lifeless copies of us. Humans don't have the technology to access a 'bot's processor and besides, Bumblebee's natural firewalls would prevent any type of virus from affecting his systems."

"We have to get him," Sideswipe said, "no matter who is responsible for this we have to bring him back here."

"You are correct, Sideswipe," said Optimus. "Bumblebee must be brought in for questioning and a trial."

"A trial?" snarled Sunstreaker.

"He has broken the Autobot code, he has defected and killed humans," Optimus explained. "This betrayal cannot go unpunished."

"No!" the Twins shouted. "Bumblebee is not a—"

"Enact protocol 371," Optimus ordered, and all the other Autobots froze for a second before straightening up and looking at him. "The scout, designation Bumblebee, has defected to the Decepticon cause and killed helpless organics. He is to be shot on sight, no hesitation."

"Yes, Prime." The other Autobots said.

Raf stared in horror at the mechs and femme around him. A giant hand scooped him up and Optimus carried him out of the base. "What did you do to them?"

"I am sorry you had to witness that, Raf," Optimus said, his optics shifting to the left before they snapped back on the human boy. "In light of what has been revealed here today I think it best that you do not come back to base until this ordeal has passed."

"You're going to kill Bumblebee?" Raf asked. "You can't! Please you can't kill him!"

"I understand why you are upset, little one, but my duty is clear." Optimus set Raf on the ground, "Bumblebee has betrayed the Autobot cause and as prime I must answer his treason with justice."

Prime turned to walk away but Raf stumbled forward, "No, Optimus, please! That isn't you! You always give people a second chance! Please!"

Optimus' frame shuddered slightly, "Raf, Raf I—" Prime stood tall and looked down at the human boy, "My duty is clear, if you cannot accept Bumblebee's fate then perhaps you should no longer come here."

Tears streamed down the boy's face as the door to the base closed. Raf sobbed as he backed away, running as fast as his short legs could take him. He could not believe what had happened, the things Optimus had said. That protocol he had enacted, it seemed to have taken away the other Autobots' will to disagree with Optimus, and Prime himself had been so cold when he ordered Bumblebee's death.

Raf did not go to his house. He could not go home in this state, his body still trembled from his crying and his face was a mess of tears and dirt. Needing to be alone, Raf climbed to a lookout post he and Bumblebee had frequented for when they needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of the base.

Raf sat down and allowed himself to cry outright. It was his fault and he knew it. The Twins had wanted to go find Bumblebee right after Raf had shown them the picture but he had insisted on telling the others. Now that weird thing had happened and everyone, even Optimus, had ceased acting like the 'bots that he knew.

Wiping furiously at his face, Raf tried to stop crying. It was a lost process of course, the situation was just too hopeless. He could not get to Bumblebee on his own, he was just a kid and had no idea where to look anyway. The Autobots would find 'Bee and kill him before the young 'bot had a chance to defend himself, Raf was sure of it.

The human boy did not hear the approaching seeker before it was too late to hide. Raf looked up in alarm, having just enough time to see a fast approaching seeker bearing down him before it was too late. Half transforming, the seeker grabbed him with one servo, put him in the cockpit and then took off again.

Raf's screams were lost before anyone but his kidnapper could hear them.

**Decepticons: 8**

**Autobots: 6**

**AN: The Autobots are catching up, come on Decepticon fans don't lose the lead!**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: The outrage over Optimus Prime's actions and words! The shock and anger, death threats, wow. 19 reviews for one chapter, a new record! Anyway, I probably should have warned you guys at the beginning of this story that I love cliffhangers…and making my reviewers mad when I do it. Don't hate me.**

**Insert something creative: Thanks for thinking my writing is brilliant, I've worked really hard on it. Any spelling errors are purely from writing too fast and then not catching the mistakes when I read back through it.**

**Stitchar: More therapy sessions? Got it. I knew that about Breakdown, but was unsure if Knockout would want to bring up his dead partner continually. Will have to give this a lot of thought.**

**Allseer: Sit tight.**

**Huter: Welcome and thanks for the review and faction vote.**

**64: I'm getting the feeling that I'm going to enjoy tormenting you.**

**MissCHSparkles: Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. That's all I can say without giving anything away.**

**TheOddAngel: Wow, I did not see defecting coming but yes you're allowed to defect. Would you like to?**

**To all Guests: Welcome and thanks for your reviews!**

**Starfire201: Hope can be a very powerful thing.**

**Asher Tye: You are right to be skeptical, my friend.**

**AN: To everyone else, as always thanks for reviewing. Lots of reviews really motivate me to write faster, plus a thunderstorm helps too.**

{Shockwave's Lab}

The roar of the jet's engines alerted Shockwave to Starscream's return. The scientist looked up as the F-22 flew through the tunnel and transformed as he neared Shockwave's lab, a human clutched in his right hand. The seeker briefly made optic contact with the scientist before ducking his head and placing his cargo on the table.

Starscream stepped back as Shockwave moved forward. The scientist scanned the small human, making sure the young male was in perfect condition before he turned to his seeker. A brief scan of Starscream showed nothing worthy of note and he turned away to focus on his latest test subject.

"There is a cube of energon on the far table, you may refuel and then you will go to monitor the perimeter scans. You will alert me if anyone approaches and you will not send out any signals of any kind."

Starscream walked a little unsteadily on his pedes to the table. His alt mode had not been the only thing Shockwave had changed; his frame was slightly bulkier to accommodate the extra weapons the scientist had added. While he had the speed of a raptor, Starcream also had the weapons assemblage of an A-10 Warthog.

The seeker took the energon cube and tried to ignore the whimpers from the prisoner. He never thought that he would ever feel anything but contempt for humans but having been strapped to that table before and knowing what was coming there was an odd stirring in his spark. He drank his energon quickly, knowing Shockwave would only let him refuel when the bigger mech felt like it, and from the corner of his optics he saw the scientist restrain the fragile human.

Shockwave paid Starscream no mind as he activated his laser tool. Using the lowest setting, he meticulously cut away the boy's shirt and brushed the pieces of cloth to the side. Using a lead pencil, Shockwave began to mark the small body at the places where he would need to pay particular attention during his experimenting. The human would no doubt not survive the process, the first test subjects rarely did, but his sacrifice would bring Shockwave that much closer to understanding the organic's biology and that in turn would lead him closer to his goal.

Having finished his energon Starscream turned away to leave. The muffled screams of the human as Shockwave made his first incision seared the seeker's audios, making him walk faster to exit the room. With any luck the human would pass out and be unconscious for the worst part. Starscream could do nothing, thanks to the slave code firmly entrenched in his systems he could not even think of attacking the scientist without an unbearable pressure building in his processor.

Starscream took up his post in the small command room of Shockwave's underground base. He had already cursed himself seven ways from right to left and back for stupidly getting mixed up in this business. Starscream fervently wished that Megatron had killed Shockwave back on Cybertron all those years ago, as the Decepticons had thought he had.

Starscream shook his head mournfully. Wishing could do nothing; it never would do anything helpful. He could not even monologue to himself thanks to Shockwave ordering him silent and his new battle mask firmly sealed over the lower part of his face. Starscream wondered if Shockwave had done the last part because he himself was without a face, and seeing the seeker would remind the scientist of what he did not have.

A camera in the corner showed the lab and Starscream did his best to ignore it. Seeing the red blood staining the table would most likely make him want to purge his tank and he needed to preserve his energon. It was a flimsy excuse, and Starscream knew it, for despite his outward appearance of being a hardened mech he really did have a queasy system for brutality and tried his best to avoid any situation that might bring him pain.

Well, he certainly had been too desperate to avoid Shockwave's clutches. The scientist had known what he was doing, offering Starscream all the energon he required in exchange for recon missions. The seeker had bought it hook, line and sinker, as the humans say… Starscream winced, the human in the lab would not live, of that he was certain.

_I delivered him to his death_, Starscream thought. _But even without this code in me I doubt I would have helped him, I really am a coward_.

**AN: So, don't kill me? **

**Decepticons: 13**

**Autobots: 8**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: I'm hiding behind a really strong shield and if any of you come after me I do have missiles to defend myself. So stay away and continue reading, thank you. **

**Chapter Summary: Of Ships, and 'Bots, and Trauma**

{_Nemesis_}

When Bumblebee came out of recharge he found himself alone. The classical music was still playing, a piece he did not know, and he slowly sat up to look around. Knockout was gone, no doubt at the medical bay as a look at the time display showed that it was 0900 hours(okay, no idea how the 'bots would display time so I'm going with the military version). Bumblebee had definitely recharged longer than he normally did, or even would have been able to back at the Autobot base.

Swinging his legs to the floor, Bumblebee got up and stretched. Surprisingly, he had recharged better than he could ever remember and he definitely had not had any more nightmares after falling asleep in here. Bumblebee wondered if Knockout would make this a regular thing, as the little 'bot could almost feel the fear rise in him at he prospect of having to be alone at his next recharge.

The classical music and Knockout's presence had helped. The soothing sounds had lulled him into recharge, and Knockout's presence had kept the haunting voice of Silas away. For a moment he looked down at the berth he recharged on, thinking of how Breakdown had used that same space when he needed a peaceful slumber.

It was hard thinking of the ex-wrecker as being able to show signs of weakness. Bulkhead never did, the 'big lug', as Arcee affectionately called him, was not the brightest spark in the pack but he was one of the toughest and only a scraplet could send the bulky mech screaming. Had Bumblebee not also been fearfully watching his back he might have laughed along with Miko at Bulkhead's high pitched tones.

Bumblebee wrapped his arms around his torso and hung his head. For some unfathomable reason Megatron wanted him to rejoin the Autobots, to pick up from where he had left, but young as he was, Bumblebee was sure he could never go back. To Bumblebee, the Autobots represented his youth as he had been with ever since he had been orphaned while still a sparkling. The Twins had raised him the majority of the time but he had grown up from one Autobot base to the next, they had been his family and he had had more days filled with laughter than sorrow.

Now the days of his youth were gone. Bumblebee knew he was still relatively young, he was perhaps the youngest on the _Nemesis_, but experience had a way of aging a 'bot far faster than years did. MECH had made him grow up, had robbed him of the last shred of innocence he had managed to hold onto and had forced him to see up close the ugliness of evil. Bumblebee had thought Megatron was bad, had resented him for stealing his voice, but the Decepticon leader paled in comparison with MECH. Silas was truly the devil he had heard Raf speak of, delighting in taking anything that was good and dirtying it beyond recognition.

Raf. Bumblebee felt coolant gather around his optics as he thought about his little friend. Would he ever see him again? Would Raf even want to see him again after he learned what Bumblebee had been forced to do?

The door opened and Knockout walked in with two cups of energon. "Well sleeping beauty finally got up, which is good because there was no way I was trying the human method to wake you." Knockout passed a cup to Bumblebee before turning off the music, "So, how did you recharge?"

[**Very well**,] Bumblebee answered honestly. [**You were right, classical music helps a lot**.]

The two bots sipped their energon in silence before Knockout handed a chip to Bumblebee. "Here, this holds a thousand or more classical songs and even some Gregorian chant," Knockout hesitated before adding, "Breakdown used to reserve the Latin pieces for when he was alone, as I sometimes had night missions or was needed to patch someone up in the medical bay." Bumblebee looked up from where he had been examining the chip, a question in his optics, "Go ahead and ask, I won't bite."

[**Can you talk about Breakdown? It's just that…I'd like to know how he managed to get through the day after MECH tortured him**.]

Knockout sipped some more of this energon, "How much do you know about him?"

[**Well, I know he use to be a Wrecker, Bulkhead ranted a lot about how Breakdown turned his back on the group after an incident happened. I never did find out what happened, did Breakdown tell you**?]

Knockout drained his energon cup and looked at Bumblebee, "He didn't have too, I was there." Trust was what Knockout needed to build with Bumblebee and it was the only reason why he was willing to talk about Breakdown. Hopefully, the scout would see that Knockout truly wanted to help him and would come trust him enough to talk about his days at the MECH base. "I was working as an assistant medic among the Decepticon ranks near the front lines. We had set up an area to treat the injured, separating them according to faction but we did treat members of both sides as our oaths required. Well, the Decepticons were pushed back and the Autobots took the area, most of the medics ran but a few of us stayed because there were some severely wounded mechs who would've died without immediate treatment. The Wreckers came in and stopped us from treating anyone, then they executed all the wounded Decepticons, 'mercy kills' they called them, even though all of those who were coherent begged for actual mercy." Knockout looked at the frozen Bumblebee and nudged him to continue drinking his energon, "Like the fool I was I threw myself in front of a wounded mech, he was little more than a youngling anyway, and Wheeljack was prepared to shoot through me. Breakdown had been hanging back from the rest at this point, he later told me that seeing his comrades kill the wounded had snapped something inside him, but when he saw his leader point a blaster at a medic he jumped forward to stop Wheeljack. In the ensuing confusion Breakdown grabbed me and we fled, the sounds of death behind us as we ran for the Decepticon lines. Breakdown defected and swore allegiance to Megatron on the condition that he would never order his soldiers to shoot the fallen. When Dreadwing and Skyquake heard what the Wreckers had done they swore vengeance on that elite group, but that in itself was nothing knew as the brothers were always swearing vengeance for one wrong or another. Anyway, every mech or femme joining the Decepticon ranks is given an internal scan to see if they are carrying the slave code or any loyalty codes."

[**Loyalty codes**?] Bumblebee squeaked.

"Yes, Breakdown had already disobeyed one set of codes in saving my life but I feel he was able to do so because saving me was not in direct violation with the orders he had been given. Anyway, I found numerous codes in his program that shouldn't have been there, one was protocol 371, which overrode a mech's will in a matter and made them obey without question to who ever had the voiceprint in the code. At the time that I found it I thought it was excluded only to the Wreckers, as it made sense to keep such a protocol in elite fighters as they were, but then I found it in you."

[**Me**?] Bumblebee was glad he had finished the energon because the cup slipped from his fingers.

"Yes. Don't worry; I erased it so if anyone with the voiceprint should try enacting it you won't be affected. It was certainly an optic-opener when I found it."

Bumblebee was not comforted. [**If I had it, then is it possible everyone on my team has it as well**?]

"Given that you were a scout and you had it I would say that it is quite possible."

Bumblebee jumped to his pedes, [**I have to warn them! What if someone uses it on them? They'd be helpless! Just like I was helpless**!]

"Bumblebee calm down, let's just—" Knockout broke off as his com sounded. "Yes? Yes, Lord Megatron, we'll be right there. Come on, Bumblebee, we're wanted on the bridge and we'll appraise Lord Megatron of the situation once we see what he needs."

**Decepticons: 13**

**Autobots: 8**


	23. Chapter 23

**5 ways: Welcome and thanks for the review! You're the second person that I've 'wowed' with this story.**

**Iloveyou: Shockwave isn't a Decepticon, so you can root for Megatron's team if you want.**

**MissCHSparkles: Answers to some of your questions are in this chapter.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks!**

**Allseer: No, don't send the Jazz-man! Oh have mercy on— Wait, I just got an email from Megatron, and he says not to worry about Jazz so I guess send him at your own risk.**

**Huter: This chapter should make you happy.**

**WolfSpiritFlower: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**64: Quickly read this chapter, and thanks for not coming after me.**

**Insert something creative: Thanks.**

{_Nemesis_}

Bumblebee and Knockout walked onto the bridge and froze at what they saw. Megatron and Soundwave were standing together, gazing down at something that rested in Soundwave's servos. Bumblebee felt a nervousness creep through his systems, he was not sure why as he could see nothing to be alarmed about but nevertheless his instincts were heightened.

Megatron looked up as the two 'bots entered and signaled them to come over. Bumblebee did not hesitate to cross the distance, his spark warning him that something was not right and he came abreast of Megatron to see what the other two were looking at. His spark stuttered, his processor having a difficult time computing with his optics were seeing.

[**Raf**?] He beeped his inquiry, optics wide as the little form moved in Soundwave's servos. Bumblebee watched as the brown haired head lifted to look at him, red rimmed brown eyes widened when they saw the new comer and the boy drew in a gasp of air.

"Bee?"

That one word was enough to snap Bumblebee out of his daze. His guardian instincts, awakening at the sight of his ward in Soundwave's hand, made him jump forward to gently snatch the little organic from the communications officer. Scanning his little brother to check for injuries, Bumblebee was relieved the boy only suffered from a heightened amount of distress but that was quickly dissipating as Raf clung to his guardian.

Bumblebee crooned lowly as he brought Raf up close to his chest plates. The boy latched onto him, trying to wiggle into a crevice as far as he could, small hands gripping so tight that Bumblebee doubted they could ever be dislodged involuntarily. The 'bot used a finger to gently rub Raf's back, trying his best to comfort and seek comfort at the same time.

Bumblebee looked up at the three watching Decepticons, the Vehicons were steadily ignoring anything not connected with their current jobs. [**Why is he here? Why did you bring him**?]

No matter how much the Decepticons had helped him, this was crossing the line. Bumblebee silently prepared to flee; knowing he would not be able to fight while holding Raf so running was his only option. Fresh tears from Raf certainly did not help the situation.

"Calm down, little scout," Megatron ordered, and Soundwave nodded to show his support. "Soundwave required help in building a strong defense program to render Shockwave's code harmless. Your ward is highly intelligent in the computer field for one his age, that is why Soundwave chose him and for no other reason."

Bumblebee had tuned out the last of what the Decepticon leader had said as he quickly remembered. Defense program. Slave code. MECH. Silas. Killing humans. Bumblebee looked down in alarm at Raf, who was looking up at him with concern. How could he hold Raf like nothing he had done had mattered? He could still feel the blood soaking into his pedes, even if had been washed away he could feel it. He felt incredibly dirty, and holding the innocent Raf only fueled his shame all the more.

"Bee?"

Bumblebee shook his head. [**I'm sorry, Raf, I shouldn't have picked you up. I'm sorry. I don't deserve to hold you**.] Bumblebee gently pulled him away and deposited him on Soudnwave's outstretched servo. The boy was too stunned to say anything, [**I'm sorry, so sorry. I wasn't thinking, I shouldn't have**—]

"STOP!" Raf shouted as Bumblebee started to turn away and the scout quickly whipped around to look at him. Raf had never shouted with such ferocity before so he really could not blame Bumblebee for looking so surprised. "Don't you dare leave me again! Don't you dare!" Shaking now with tears of frustration, Raf reached out for his guardian. "I know you didn't want to do any of that, I know someone forced you to, I'm not an idiot Bumblebee!" Raf hiccupped slightly, his lungs having inhaled too much in order to calm himself down. "Please?"

No guardian can ignore the sight of his ward's pain and tears. Bumblebee slowly reached forward and picked Raf up, cradling him gently to his chassis once again. [**I'm sorry, Raf, so sorry**.]

Raf hiccupped some more as he made himself comfortable in his guardian's hands. "I forgive you, just don't leave me, please don't. I need you, Bee, I need you just as much as you need me."

Bumblebee was silent as he hugged Raf to his body. With the boy calming down and rubbing his eyes, occasionally hiccupping now and then, the scout looked up at their audience. Megatron's face showed nothing, as did Soundwave's but Knockout's mouth was open and the Vehicons were frozen at their terminals, looking at the human boy in Bumblebee's hands.

Megatron followed Bumblebee's gaze and glared at the Vehicons. In a moment they were back to work and the Decepticon leader turned his attention to Bumblebee. "Little scout, as the human's guardian do you consent to him working alongside Soundwave?"

[**You really need his help**?] Bumblebee asked.

"Yes."

Bumblebee looked down at Raf, the boy smiled at him. "It's okay, Bee. I don't really know what is going on but if they need my help, and this will help you, then I want to do it."

"He will come to no harm, little scout," Megatron said, as Bumblebee hesitated. "Little human, how old are you?"

"Uh, thirteen?" Raf's answer came out more like a question as Megatron had surprised him.

"And how old must a human be to be considered an adult?"

"Um, twenty-one."

Megatron nodded, "He is little more than a youngling, barely out of sparklinghood. I swear on my honor, little scout, that if any harm comes to your ward while in Decepticon company I will personally kill the offender."

Bumblebee was stunned but he nodded his consent. "Very good," said Megatron, "we will allow you to explain the situation to him as he was too distressed earlier to listen."

The Decepticons moved away and Bumblebee held onto Raf as he began his story. The little boy was silent during his recounting, occasionally making a startled gasp or gripping Bumblebee's finger tighter. Bumblebee of course told his ward the edited version, as there was no reason to burden the boy or fill his head with unpleasant images.

"Bee?" Raf asked, once his guardian had ceased speaking. "This slavery code, is it possible for the other Autobots to have it?"

Bumblebee tilted his helm, [**Why do you ask**?]

"Because I think Optimus Prime invoked it on the others when they protested against his decision to kill you."

[**What**?] Bumblebee's outburst drew the three Decepticons back to them.

"What is it?" Megatron asked, noting the tense stance of Bumblebee and the fresh tears on the boy's face.

In a shaking voice, Raf recounted what had happened back at the Autobot base. Knockout stroked his chin, "What was the protocol?"

Raf scrunched up his face in concentration, "I think it was protocol 327, no 372," Raf pulled his hair in frustration, "I'm not sure, it happened so fast."

"Protocol 371?" Knockout asked, and the boy nodded. "That was not the slave code, merely a failsafe code to ensure obedience should a mech or femme disagree with an order. It is different from the slave code since protocol 371 erases all sign of the mech disagreeing with orders and makes them believe they were for it from the start."

Megatron turned away and looked out the viewport. He drew in deep intakes of cool air, trying his best to stay calm in light of this revelation. It was one thing to suspect that his old friend was not quite right in the head, but it was quite another to have those suspicions confirmed. Megatron placed his servo against the glass, his processor wandering back to old memories.

Shaking his helm, Megatron turned to the mechs who were waiting for orders. "Change in plans. Dreadwing," he called up to where the seeker was overseeing the helmsman. "Lower the ship into Earth's atmosphere, we must be sighted for the Autobots to come to us."

"We want the Autobots to find us?" Knockout asked, voicing what Bumblebee and Raf were too shocked to do.

"Of course, how else can we save them from themselves?" At the looks of confusion, Megatron decided, just this once, to elaborate, "Taking down Shockwave and MECH will require more firepower than even we have, the more of us the better our odds at stopping these slavers before they can complete whatever their endgame is. The Autobots are no different from any of us when we were under the influence of the slave code. The council may be dead but their madness is still spreading. Knockout, you will prepare the medical bay for the first mech I will bring to you for treatment will be Optimus Prime himself."

**AN: It was funny to watch you guys panic, but seriously, I would never have a child tortured like that. I mean, no one deserves to be in Shockwave's or MECH's hands but while I'm willing to put some mechs or humans in danger I draw the line at children being tortured. I'm not a sicko; I do have morals and integrity so panic, but don't freak out. Okay? All right, glad we got that out of the way, sorry to hold you up, as always please review.**

**Decepticons: 15**

**Autobots: 9**


	24. Chapter 24

**TheOddAngel: No problem, and you're welcome.**

**King: Welcome and thanks for the review!**

**Magic hunter: Welcome and thanks for the review! No, Starscream did not take Miko, she's a child so she falls under my 'no torturing children' policy. **

**Allseer: Yes, chapter 21 really happened, it just wasn't Raf. And cruel I may be but I'm not a mistress.**

**5 ways: There will be an epic battle.**

**Huter: You're welcome.**

**64: What did I do now?**

**TransformersBeeFan: Um, can I take the hug but bypass the kiss and strangling?**

**Thunderweb: Yes, it is.**

**Sora Matasuki: I have no idea; you won't be seeing him again anyway. **

**Autumnflowers: Oh, okay, glad you're reading it.**

**Proudtobeatwin98: Welcome and thanks for the review. I don't know, active imagination I guess, lots of time watching movies and reading books. I liked the TFP show but I thought they could have done a lot more with it than they did.**

**MissCHSparkles: Yep, Megatron and Optimus definitely have a lot to talk about.**

{_Nemesis_ – Knockout's Quarters}

Knockout was brought out of recharge by the ping of his com. Sitting up to answer, he glanced at the still recharging Bumblebee. The scout was on his side, one servo curled around a sleeping Raf, who had a pillow and blanket to make his nook a little more comfortable. The little human had certainly put in a hard day's work with Soundwave on building a perfect defense program to contain the slave code. After running various simulations Soundwave had called for a volunteer to try it on. Megatron had not been happy when Dreadwing had stepped forward; every one knew that the Decepticon leader had regarded Skyquake and Dreadwing as his surrogate sons. The younger gladiators had been among the first that Megatron had freed, their oaths of loyalty inspiring many to follow them.

"_Knockout, we are preparing to enter Earth's atmosphere. Consider yourself on medical standby_," Megatron said.

"Very well, Lord Megatron, I shall be in the medical bay."

Knockout swung his legs to the floor and stood up. _Claire de Lune_ filled his quarters, a piece he had hated ever since the Twilight movies had come out but Breakdown, who had not seen the sorry-excuse-for-a-romance movie, had liked the music and Knockout had forgotten to delete it since it had been the furthest thing from his processor when his partner had been killed. Well, since he was leaving his quarters he did not need to deal with it but he would have to remember to ask Bumblebee's opinion on the song.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

"Have you recovered?" Megatron asked, and Dreadwing nodded. The Decepticon leader had had to fight for control over his natural instinct to push Dreadwing out of the way of Soundwave's data cable. No sire liked to see harm come to their child, and while Dreadwing was fully capable of looking after himself now still Megatron had wanted to protect him from the slave code being downloaded. Knockout had, quite reluctantly, agreed to be the voiceprint, as Dreadwing would never willingly obey him. So when the defense program had then been download into Dreadwing's processor everyone had stood still to see if it would work. When Dreadwing did not take the two steps forward as Knockout had ordered everyone on the bridge had exhausted their ventilator systems in relief.

"It was certainly an experience I will never want to go through again," Dreadwing said, and Megatron silently agreed with him. During the experiment, Bumblebee had left the room, not willing to see once again when he himself had lived through.

"Monitor the screens and let me know when you sight the Autobots," Megatron ordered and he turned away to exit the bridge.

"As you wish, Lord Megatron." Dreadwing shifted for a better view of the screens, his optics monitoring while his processor thought back of his surrogate sire. Had it not been for Megatron, Skyquake and Dreadwing would not have survived the gladiator pits. The two young brothers were greener than the grass on Earth when they were sent out to fight, but for some odd reason Megatron had taken them under his wing and taught them almost everything he knew in order to survive.

The death of Skyquake left a hole on Dreadwing's spark as well as Megatron's. Oh, the seeker did not blame Prime and Bumblebee for killing his brother, such was war, and they had both known that the possibility of them seeing each other again had been slight. No, what made him mad was the desecration of Skyquake's remains by Starscream, whose foolish plan had robbed Dreadwing of the right to properly see to his brother's remains.

Dreadwing watched as the _Nemesis_ lowered itself toward the ground. Megatron and his second lieutenant had decided on the Grand Canyon for their unofficial meeting with the Autobots. On another monitor was displayed the top of the ship, where Megatron waited with his squadrons of Vehicon seekers. Dreadwing and another five squadrons of seekers and grounders would be on hold, to be brought into the battle once the Autobots were distracted.

The seeker lieutenant pondered, very briefly, how this fight would be different from every other encounter with the Autobots. For once, Megatron's orders had been to wound only, not to kill. '_No one deserves to be stripped of their free will_', Megatron had said and Dreadwing reluctantly agreed with him.

The Autobots were the same as the Decepticons had been before Megatron had freed them. Even Prime himself most likely had a bazillion codes running through his processor that were most likely put in place to keep him from turning against the council or their wishes. Knowing what he did now certainly made Dreadwing look at every fight he had with the Autobots in the past with new optics. How many of them had been under the influence of protocol 371 when he had snuffed out their sparks?

A beeping brought Dreadwing out of his memories and he looked at the monitor. A ground bridge was opening not too far from the _Nemesis_ and Dreadwing watched as Prime, followed by six other Autobots, came running out. So the human boy had been telling the truth about the arrival of the three new 'bots, Dreadwing had had his doubts since the _Nemesis_ had not picked up anything but the seeker was glad to see that he was proven wrong.

"Lord Megatron was right," Dreadwing murmured, "Prime never does cease to disappoint." The seeker touched his com unit on the side of his helm, "Lord Megatron, the Autobots have arrived off the starboard side."

"_Acknowledged, Dreadwing, ready your troops and hold them on standby until I give the signal_."

"By your command, Lord Megatron."

**Decepticons: 16**

**Autobots: 8**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Wow, over 200 reviews! You guys rock! Surprisingly the guests reviewed the last chapter faster than the regulars did. It's funny how nobody commented on my dig at **_**Twlight**_**, I thought for sure that would get at least one sentence.**

**QuantumSheep: You now, officially, hold the spot of writing the longest review I've ever gotten. Thanks. Details, hmm, well what kind of details? If you mean like terrain or on the ship I'm kinda assuming that people have watched TFP and so know what the Autobot base or the **_**Nemesis**_** look like. Dark parts, well, unfortunately, life has dark places and not everyone is going to walk clear of experiencing some kind of pain or sorrow. As for Silas having Bumblebee kill people, need I remind you of Stalin, Marx, Hitler, Muhammad, etc., who also wanted to bring a new world order and didn't care how many people died in the process so long as their goal was reached? And I would never want to see this stuff in a children's show. Glad I caught your attention, I have a feeling you're going to be my biggest critic.**

**Ryder-hunter: definitely**

**Purest of Hearts: I know I'm writing a semi-dark fic but there are things even I don't want to know. Anyway, thanks for reviewing.**

**Jazzy Maned Wolf: Welcome and thanks for the review! Glad you like it.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks!**

**Thunderweb: What's even scarier are the tactics humans employ on other humans as a method of brainwashing. **

**5 ways: If you want the Autobots rid of the code then yes you want the Decepticons to win.**

**64: Just for that I ought to make you suffer but that would be unfair to my other reviewers. So I'll just have to find another way to get back at you. Maybe I'll send Megatron after you.**

**Nonny: I'm just taking a different spin on things, since Fanfiction allows me to do that. Anyway, welcome and thanks for the review!**

**MissCHSparkles: Hope this is exciting. What's with the demographic thing?**

**Chapter Summary: Brainwashed Autobots vs. Decepticons (title borrowed from Thunderweb's review)**

{Grand Canyon, Arizona} (**Just in case you mistook it for the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.)**

Megatron and his squadrons of Vehicon seekers ran off the top of the _Nemesis_. Transforming as soon as they cleared the deck, the seekers nose-dived to the ground, opening fire on the Autobot grounders. The plan was simple enough, force the Autobots to split apart and keep them separate from each other.

The Twins on the battlefield meant the seekers had to keep their distance. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had been specifically designed to take down seekers, their short-range jet packs and air-judo techniques making them a force to be reckoned with. Megatron had lost many a seeker to the Twins in the past and he was determined not to lose anymore, even if they were Vehicons.

Laser fire tore up the ground around the Autobots and they all dived to find cover. Megatron ordered the other seekers to split off by squadron and make diving runs on the Autobots. To wound was their goal, incapacitate even, but no killing, there had been far too much of that up to this point. The true beauty of this plan was that even if Shockwave were watching he would not know what was going on, he would merely assume it just another Autobot/Decepticon confrontation.

Megatron did not single out Optimus right away. Instead he concentrated his fire around the clustered four Autobots who were then forced to dive into the canyon for cover. Megatron grinned, knowing it was only a matter of time before Prime came running at him, probably had a code to make sure he would always combat the Decepticon leader.

As always, Optimus did not disappoint. Megatron was just getting ready to bear down on the separated Blurr when he saw the prime come into his line of vision, the barrel of his long cannon pointed at the incoming Decepticon leader. Megatron avoided the incoming shell, half transforming to grab hold of the Autobot leader and carry him to the other side of the canyon. They grappled with one another, trading blows that were evenly dealt on both sides, both of them were giving everything they had but for different reasons.

Optimus' blue optics were dull, a sign that a code had been activated. Megatron tried his best not to look his one-time friend in the optic, knowing he could ill afford to allow sentiment to hamper his movements. Sending a wicked blow to Optimus' head, Megatron almost missed the prime unsheathing the blade on his arm. He ducked just in time; receiving a scrape along the top of his helm instead of the gouge Optimus had been going for.

Megatron wasted no time in grabbing the sword arm and blasting the blade with his cannon. The metal splintered and broke, causing Prime to bring out the blade on his other arm but Megatron merely repeated the same action with that arm as well. Optimus retaliated by punching the grinning Decepticon in the face, causing Megatron to stumble back.

While the two leaders duked it out on the wall of the canyon, below the other Autobots had been forced to separate. Arcee had been the first to leave her group, hoping to outdrive the Decepticons in her motorcycle altmode but there were just too many Vehicons. A seeker came down before her, spinning on its side to shoot the wall next to her and Arceee transformed, hoping to clear the rocks but found herself pinned down by the debris.

She looked up, expecting to see a Vehicon ready to finish her off, but there was no one around. Straining against the rocks above her, Arcee succeeded only in bringing more down upon her and so she lay still. If any Decepticons came near her she would blast them to smithereens.

The Twins had scaled the canyon wall and were doing their best to catch hold of a seeker. Even using their jet packs made this mission difficult since the Vehicon seekers were doing their best to stay out of reach of the Twins. Having had enough of the engage-retreat tactics the Decepticons were deploying, both Twins hit their jetpacks and then Sunstreaker grabbed Sideswipe to throw him at the nearest Vehicon.

Usually when they grabbed a seeker that Decepticon did everything he could to shake them off before they could put out his spark. However, this day was filled with scenarios that were not working as well as they had in the past. The seeker Sideswipe had grabbed hold of, flipped belly side up and dropped straight down the ground. The twin was forced to let go or be crushed on impact, and as soon as he had dropped away the Vehicon flipped back around and took off. Disgruntled, the Twins set about looking for a new target.

Ratchet had been among the first to go down. While able to hold his own relatively well against legions of the undead, the medic was no fighter and as such had been easily taken out with a few shock blasts. Five Vehicons stood guard around his frame, all of them hoping that they would not be around once Ratchet was brought out of stasis.

Bulkhead and Blurr had managed to stay together at first but had then been forced apart. Blurr had scaled the wall and was actually not too far from where Megatron and Optimus were fighting, but the Vehicons kept him from taking a pot shot at the Decepticon leader. The youngling skidded on his tires and twirled around, firing his blasters at an incoming Vehicon and scoring a few shots on the seeker's front.

The Vehicon went down quickly and lay still. Blurr did not get a chance to celebrate as five more Vehicons converged on his position and laser fire erupted al around him. Rolling away on his tires, Blurr was forced to retreat away from the canyon or be singed by blaster fire.

Bulkhead had smashed a few Vehicons on his own and his confidence was growing. Hefting large rocks and throwing them at the incoming seekers had turned into quite a game for the Wrecker and bodies of Vehicons lay scattered about the canyon. Given the extra hard plating Bulkhead had simple laser fire was not going to cut it, so the Decepticon seekers instead focused their attention of bringing the walls around the Wrecker down, thus limiting Bulkhead's movements.

"_Lord Megatron, the Autobots have all been separated_."

Megatron pushed Optimus away and activated his com, "Dreadwing, bring in the reinforcements."

"_At once, Lord Megatron_."

Optimus quickly punched Megatron twice, not bothering to watch the Decepticon leader fight for balance but instead looking up at the _Nemesis_. A swarm of seekers, rising above the ship like a black cloud, descended on the Grand Canyon firing lasers with a vengeance. Dreadwing headed straight for Prime, spinning as he flew and firing his lasers.

Dreadwing transformed as he ran into Optimus, sending them both back several feet from Megatron. While Prime wrestled with his new opponent, Megatron circled them and readied his shock blast for an opening. Dreadwing was more than capable of holding his own against Optimus, but neither he nor Megatron had the time to waste with this fight.

Dreadwing drew his sword and Optimus had to use his broken blades to block the seeker's strikes. With Prime's back exposed, Megatron rushed forward but Optimus kicked Dreadwing aside and turned to fire a cannon blast at the Decepticon leader. Megatron narrowly avoided the shot by quickly jumping to the side and then pouncing on Optimus before the prime had time to recover.

The two titans fell to the ground with Megatron on top of Optimus. The Decepticon leader quickly used his weight to keep Prime's legs pinned while Dreadwing rushed forward to grab hold of Optimus' upper body. With the Autobot leader successfully restrained, Megatron pulled the prime's chest plates apart to expose the spark within and aimed his cannon at the bright light. Firing a shock blast from his cannon, Megatron watched as Optimus' frame jerked before his optics went offline.

Megatron and Dreadwing stood up, looking down at the unconscious prime. "See to the capture of the other Autobots, Dreadwing." Megatron ordered before he touched the side of his helm, "Soundwave, I require a ground bridge."

A swirl of green light opened a few feet away from him and Megatron hefted Optimus' heavy frame with the aid of a Vehicon. Dreadwing transformed and took off, flying high to get a better perspective of the situation before deciding which Autobot to take down next. Megatron dragged Optimus into the ground bridge and disappeared from sight.

**Decepticons: 17**

**Autobots: 8**


	26. Chapter 26

**Deception is Decepticon: This chapter just kind of sets the stage for the next chapter so probably not too much awesomeness.**

**Purest of Hearts: That was the plan.**

**QuantumSheep: I knew you would be my critic! So here's my defense. Okay, yes the battle was short but figure on this, Megatron did not have time to be horsing around and the Decepticons did outnumber the Autobots like 10 to 1. Also, I couldn't see Optimus lasting any longer than he did against Megatron and Dreadwing, who are both ex-gladiators and Prime isn't. Silas' motives will be revealed; I just don't like laying all of my cards down on the table at once.**

**Igeegeei: Can I keep you?**

**Answerthecall: Thanks; let me know if I do.**

**Starfire201: Here's hoping.**

**DEVINE.L: Oh Megatron is definitely not a happy camper.**

**64: As long as you are nice, Megatron will stay over here.**

**AN: Welcome to other new guests and a big thanks to the other reviewers!**

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

Seeing Optimus Prime in the medical bay of the Decepticon warship would never be a sight Megatron would get used to. The last time the Autobot leader had been on that berth under Knockout's instruments was when he had had amnesia, but this time could not be handled as easily as before, there was so much more to argue against than blank memory banks. Even once the necessary codes were erased there could still be ghost indentations left behind, it was never easy to eradicate a code that had been in place for centuries after all. If it had been then the revolution would have started all the sooner.

"Are we ready to begin, Knockout?'"

The medic looked up from where he had been running a scanner over Prime's spark chamber. While a shock blast directly hitting the spark guaranteed stasis it was often used as a last resort since it could cause damage along the nervous system. Luckily for Prime his larger frame helped him bear the trauma from the blow better and when he came online there would only be a buzz feeling swirling through his wires until it wore off.  
"Yes, Lord Megatron." Knockout sealed the chest plates shut and tilted Prime's helm to the side, "Might I persuade you though to let someone else be on the other end of the cortical psychic patch? It has only been a few days since you—"

"Your concern is noted, Knockout," Megatron cut him off, "but I cannot see anyone volunteering to sift through Prime's head. Besides," here Knockout could swear that his leader's optics softened, "better a friend than a stranger."

"Are you sure you do not want him conscious for this, my lord?"

Megatron narrowed his optics, "This is no distressed youngling we are dealing with this time, Knockout! Besides, there is most likely a code in place should Optimus see me on the other end of the patch link, you must be ready to erase any codes that are activated once I am in."

"Understood, Lord Megatron." Knockout inserted one end of the cable into Optimus' head while Megatron put the other end into the back of his own. The medic stood back to watch the monitor, "Well," he sighed, "here we go again." After a moment of watching the shifting lines of codes he sighed, "Human movies are definitely more entertaining."

"_Knockout pay attention_!"

The medic jumped, "Yes, my lord, sorry, my lord."

{_Nemesis_ – Inside Prime's Mind}

Megatron shook his helm at Knockout's apology and looked around the room he had landed in. Unlike when syncing with Bumblebee's processor, the Decepticon leader did not right away appear next to the representation of Optimus' consciousness. This one missing detail was enough to put Megatron on alert.

He recognized the room he was in with a grumble. The last time he had seen this chamber of glittering gold and white it had not looked so polished, since there had been no slaves to keep it clean. Back then his troops had held the council at blaster point while he had torn them apart with his bare servos one at a time, staining the floor and walls with energon.

Once the council was dead Megatron had given the order for the place to be razed to the ground. He had watched the council chamber crumble underneath the firepower of his army and an inspection of the ruins had shown the council's mutilated corpses exactly where he had left them. On that day Megatron had thought that he had defeated them, that their stamp of evil on the Cybertronians had been made null and void but he had been wrong.

What was it Soundwave had said? Oh yes, '_enough ghosts from the past have returned'_.

Where Megatron was standing was the place where mechs and femms stood to state their case. The council chamber was made in a rectangular shape; three sides were raised up high enough that no matter how tall the mech he would still have to crane his neck to see the council. The situation of the room was a deliberate set-up to show who held the power; even the council seatings were not equal as those on the length sides were slightly lower than those at the front. The three most powerful members of the council held the three highest seats, while the lesser members fanned out on the sides.

Megatron looked up and his optics glowered with rage. Just like in the old council chamber, in Optimus' mindscape three, shadowy looming figures were sitting in the high council seats. A look to the left and right showed that the other seats were empty, was this the last memory Optimus had of council chamber? Had only the three high council members been present when his old friend had accepted the mantle of the primes?

Shaking his helm, Megatron turned to leave a cold voice stopped him in his tracks. "Slave!" Like a coiled spring, Megatron turned on his heel and had his cannon aimed at the council members in a moment. Studying the shadowy figures above him Megatron wondered if they were like his own imaginations when he had been lost inside his mind but no, his mental shadows had not interacted with Bumblebee. "We knew you would find your way in here eventually, Megatronus, we know how much you care for the data clerk. Did you think that we would give him up so easily?'

The speaker was Halogen, a gold plated mech, and Traachan and Xaaron flanked him. Traachan had silver armor while Xaaron was jade but all three had glowing orange optics. Halogen had been the mastermind behind the making of the slave code and he and the rest of the council had voted on the new frames to be sparked like one would bet at a gladiator match, deciding which sparkling went to which caste based on a simple draw of the lots.

Megatron glowered at the high council members, "I already killed you."

"Did you really think we wouldn't have a contingency plan to fall back upon? We have been living far longer than you, slave, we have had more than enough time to think of what the consequences to our actions might be."

"And yet you still went and did them," Megatron said. He was not feeling himself, not all fiery tempered and snap at the littlest thing, he was feeling calm and in control. "So much for your wisdom. I will stop you now as I did before, and the only memory of your names will be linked with horror. What have you done with Optimus?"

"_If I may, Lord Megatron_," Knockout's voice broke through, thankfully only he could hear the medic, "_from my readings the high council imprinted their memories into Prime to build a sort of defense ring around his self so that no one could separate him from the codes they put in him. Now, I believe the only way we can delete the codes is for you to find Prime and convince him to side with you against them, then with you two on the inside and me on the outside we should be able to stay one step ahead of the council_."

"Your young friend is quite safe," Halogen was answering his question, "I assure you that we have been taking excellent care of him."

Megatron raised his cannon and fired three times, watching the shadowy shapes dissolve into nothingness. Grinning like he had been struck by madness, Megatron turned and walked out of the council chamber. Navigating the mind of Optimus Prime had never been going to be an easy task, but now it was boogey trapped by the council, which made it downright treacherous.

"_My lord I don't think that did any good_," Knockout said.

"Perhaps not," Megatron conceded, "but it felt good."

Standing out on a street in Iacon, Megatron looked about the city that he had left in ruins. There was no denying that it was a beautiful city, but its greatness had cost the lives and suffering of too many to make it worth leaving Iacon untouched. A city where the wealthy had thrived and turned a blind eye to the lower castes did not deserve to stay standing.

"Now, if I were Optimus Prime, where would I be?"Megatron scowled, wracking his processor for what he knew about the prime but then his face cleared and he smiled, "No, it is not Optimus I need to look for, Knockout."

"_Who then, my lord_?"

"Orion Pax."

**AN: MWAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**AN: Yes, so, originally Optimus was going to get freed in this chapter, but then the council wrecked my plans. *Megatron shoot them!* (Say that line in the voice of Frenzy from the first Transformers movie.) Anyway, as now a lot of going to happen while in Optimus' mind I needed another chapter just to deal with that so here felt like a good place to end for now. Also, I found different sources on the council so I just pulled a little here and there and spun together my own thing.**

**Decepticons: 17**

**Autobots: 8**


	27. Chapter 27

**MissCHSparkles: Took your idea into account, hope you like.**

**Igeegeei: Correct.**

**QuantumSheep: Long enough for you?**

**AN: Thanks to the other reviewers!**

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay – Inside Prime's Mind}

"_How did you come to that conclusion, Lord Megatron_?" Knockout asked.

"Simple," replied Megatron. "Halogen gave himself away. He said 'data clerk', exactly what Orion was before they made him prime. Optimus Prime is what the high council made; I need to find Orion Pax in order to drive Halogen and his goons out of here. Now, this will be much simpler for I knew Orion better than anybody, and there is only one place a data clerk would be," he smiled, "the Archives, which are in that direction." Megatron pointed to the right but deliberately turned to the left.

"_Uh, Lord Megatron_?" Knockout asked, clearly confused.

"I know what I'm doing, Knockout."

"_Of course you do, my lord_," the medic quickly appeased. "_I never thought for a moment that you didn't_."

"Hmph!" Megatron did indeed know what he was doing. While the city of Iacon looked as it should, from the steps of the council chamber, only dead mechs assumed everything would be all right. It would be too easy for the Archives to be where they should be, no, Megatron was sure that the council had set up a false projection. He was in Optimus' mindscape, but he needed to get into Orion's and that would not be easy.

There was no one about as Megatron walked the streets of Iacon. He had not expected to see any Iaconians anyway, since mindscapes usually just had the place but not the people who would have been there. However, given that the council had their hands in making this mindscape it would be more prudent to be ready for anything to show up.

"Where are you going, puny gladiator?" Traachan appeared before him, no longer a shadowy image but fully visible in his silver plating. "Surely the mighty Megatronus has not lost his way?"

"Hardly," Megatron raised his cannon and fired, barely pausing to admire the smoking hole in the downed councilmech before the frame disappeared. "What would you rather be watching now, Knockout?"

"_I must admit, Lord Megatron, that the rating of this video has certainly gone up."_

"Megatronus," Megatron was not surprised in the least to see the jade plated councilmember standing before him. "You are a foolish—"

Megatron did not give Xaaron time to finish; he just raised his cannon and fired. He smirked as the mech fell, "So even in death the council has not changed, they are still long-winded pipe mechs."

When Halogen showed up Megatron took it all in stride. "Slave!" That cold word was followed by a lunge, a punch aimed for his head, but Megatron ducked and shot the high councilor in the back. "Now this I could get used to."

Walking on, Megatron turned to see Halogen's body disappear. He growled in sudden frustration, "It cannot be this easy! Even the council were not as foolish as this! Knockout, can you see anything?"

"_Hmm, scans show an irregularity up ahead, try the alleyway on your right, my lord_."

Turning the corner Megatron stopped in triumph. Optimus Prime stood before him, guarding a glowing portal that could only lead to Orion. Megatron primed his cannon, "One more for the scrap heap."

"_Lord Megatron wait_!" He could hear Knockout tapping away at the board keys, "This is the representation of Optimus Prime's consciousness."

"So?"

"_My lord, the council would have needed a template to build their new prime on, there is no way they could do it from scratch. Therefore, they would have had to have taken what they considered the best aspects of Orion and then built Optimus Prime on top of those_."

"Are you saying?"

"_Yes, they split him in half, essentially speaking. If you harm Optimus Prime, you will be harming Orion Pax_."

Megatron narrowed his eyes, "Oh, clever council."

"_Indeed, my lord. Your best course of action is to get past him as quickly as possible and into the portal_."

"Noted." Megatron walked forward to where Optimus Prime stood, "You must always be a thorn in my side, eh, Optimus Prime?"

Optimus regarded him with blue optics while he activated his wrist blades, "Megatron."

"Oh, bravo Optimus! You know my name. Now, how are we going to do this, hmm? Shall we clash together once more?"

"I must defend this portal."

"Then I shall burn Iacon unless you stop me. What? Don't you believe me?" Megatron turned slightly and fired at the building behind him, causing part of the wall to crumble from the impact.

"No!" Optimus shouted, rushing forward.

Megatron smirked, "So predictable."

Like they had in the real world not too long ago, the two titans grappled with one another. Megatron had been in enough practice sparring matches from his gladiatorial days to know how to fight without inflicting damage, and so he merely batted Prime's hands to the side all the while wearing a silly grin on his face. There really was nothing to the fight with Optimus being the only one who was attacking while Megatron just deflected the blows as if they were nothing.

Only when Optimus had been pulled away from the portal did Megatron strike. Grabbing hold of Prime's arm and pushing him quickly away so that he stumbled, Megatron turned and ran for the portal. He could hear Optimus recover, the thudding of pedes falling behind him reached his audios but it was too late, with a great lunge Megatron was through the portal.

Transported to the other side, Megatron turned to see the shape of Optimus Prime come to a stop before the portal.

"_I don't think he can enter, Lord Megatron_."

"Good." Megatron turned and found himself standing among the Archives. "Well, now it's only a matter of time till I find Orion."

It actually took even less time than Megatron had figured.

"1112, 1113, 1114, ah here's where this goes." Megatron tilted his helmet as he slowly moved forward, wishing the lines of data packets were not so tall and he could see where the speaker was. "Now, what's next? Oh, yes, 1235, let's see, that should be over here."

Megatron turned the corner and froze, for he had found Orion Pax. The archivist was standing on a ladder; data pads tucked under one arm while he moved up and down the shelves putting them away. It had been so long since he had seen Orion Pax, the small blue mech who had opened Megatron's optics to a life beyond the arena. Orion Pax looked nothing like Optimus Prime, his frame was skinnier, less durable, and a strong wind could easily knocked him off that ladder.

Megatron stepped forward, "Orion," he managed not to choke out.

The data clerk jerked on the ladder, data pads slipping from his grip to crash on the ground, and Orion looked at the Decepticon leader. "Yes?"

"Do you not know me?"

The blue mech's white optics were wide, "Uh, should I?"

"We were friends once," Megatron said, nearing the ladder, "you taught me how to read."

"I did? Oh, well," the smaller mech tapped the sides of the ladder, "that's good because, uh, it's good to read, you know."

Megatron chuckled, "Yes, so you told me. Don't you remember doing it? How about when we first met? At the arena in Kaon? You came because a friend had dared you, and you came to see me after the games, you were quite shocked to find I couldn't read or write."

"Well that would have shocked anyone," Orion kept ducking his head, reminding Megatron that his friend had been painfully shy, a trait the council had obviously not needed for their prime. "Well, if you came to say thanks there's really no need, just doing my civil duty and all, now, if you'll excuse me, I really should be getting these data pads back to where they go."

"My name is Megatron," the Decepticon leader said, "but you used to know me as Megatronus."

Orion froze from where he had been picking up the data pads and he looked up at Megatron, really looking at him this time. "Oh Primus help me!" To Megatron's great astonishment, Orion dropped the data pads and fled.

"_It is quite possible that_—"

"Be silent!" Megatron snapped before taking off after his friend. "Whatever damage has been done I will fix it."

It did not take long to find the smaller mech since his scrawnier frame had not been built for running. "No! No! You're dead! The council killed you! You're a ghost!"

Megatron grabbed Orion and held him close, doing his best to stay the thrashing limbs. "Can a ghost hold you as I am? Can it touch you as I am? I am real, Orion, believe me!"

Orion looked up at him, frightened optics trying to make sense of what they were seeing. "You have to go. The council will—"

"The council is dead, Orion, there is nothing but shadows of them remaining. We're in your mindscape, Orion, do you hear me? They have split you in two, I'm here to save you."

Orion smiled hesitantly, "Just like I saved you?"

"Exactly. Now, your other half has been made into a prime, I need you to merge—"

"That's impossible," Orion protested, "I can't be a prime, I'm too weak, too small!"

Megatron released Orion only to grab him by the helm and make him look at the Decepticon in the optic. "Where has your courage gone, Orion? Where is the clerk who befriended the angry gladiator and taught him to read and write? Where is my friend who stood with me before the council when everyone else was too scared too?"

Orion shuddered, and coolant reached his optics, "He died. When the council told me you were dead, when they shoved me in here to work until I dropped, I died, Megatron. I couldn't get out, no matter how hard I tried." Orion wrenched his face out of Megatron's hands and backed away, "Do you know how long it's been since I've spoken to anyone? I've been alone, wandering the halls of the Archives, trying to pretend it's just another day at work and then… Then you come and tell me it's all been a dream."

Megatron watched in silence as Orion fell to the floor and rested his helm on his drawn in legs. "I gave up keeping track of the days, I'm not even sure when I started talking to myself, and I…I might be a little insane."

Megatron stepped forward, offering his hand, "Then let's go make you whole."

Orion looked at the servo Megatron held out to him and then looked up at the ex-gladiator. "If…If you're sure I'm worthy?"

"There isn't a worthier mech in the universe." Seeing that Orion still looked doubtful, Megatron crouched slightly, "Trust me, as you once did, Orion, trust me as I trust you."

Blinking somewhere between shyness and fright, Orion carefully took the offered servo and was pulled to his feet. Megatron steered him towards the portal but standing before it Orion shied away. "I-I'm afraid."

"Good," replied Megatron. "Courage is nothing without fear, and only fools boast that they are not afraid." Orion looked up at him, his frame still shaking, "I will be by your side, Orion, I will not leave you alone. Once we have the other half of you subdued you must merge with it at once, I will protect you from anything the council has set in store."

Orion hesitated before nodding, he would not be able to fight much but Megatron had enough simmering rage for the both of them. Together, Megatron leading Orion, they stepped through the portal and appeared before Optimus Prime. While Orion choked on a cry of surprise, Megatron leapt forward, smashing quickly through the prime's defenses until he had Optimus pinned to the ground.

"Now Orion!" Orion, trembling, hurried forward and fell on top of Optimus Prime, their frames glowing blue and orange. Megatron got up and faced the end of the alley where Halogen, Traachan and Xaaron had appeared. Priming his cannons, Megatron called out to his medic, "Knockout! Talk to me!"

"_Oh, do you need me now, Lord Megatron? Well, you will be happy to hear that Orion and Optimus are merging without complications but until the process is complete they should not be interrupted_."

"Understood." Megatron fired his cannons, hitting the three councilmembers but as soon as their bodies fell they were replaced by six mechs. Two versions of Halogen led while two Traachans and two Xaarons followed. "Knockout, any codes you can get rid of from outside would be appreciated."

"_At once, Lord Megatron_."

Megatron fired his cannons again, and again the council fell before him. Yet when they returned there were nine of them, three copies of each councilmember. Megatron continued to fire, not caring that bringing down one mech brought back two to take its place, he just needed to buy Orion time. However, even a mighty fighter like Megatron cannot stand against an ever increasing mob of mechs who get closer at every step.

Megatron drew his sword and slashed at his enemies, roaring with victory when they fell in pieces before him. Yet even he could not move fast enough to stop them from grabbing him, pulling him down, from a corner of his optic he saw two Traachans heading for Orion, still merging with Optimus, and he screamed his fury. Megatron threw off the mechs on top of him and ran, slicing with his sword threw one Traachan and then another.

Hefting his sword, Megatron rushed the oncoming councilmembers and their copies. A battle cry bursting forth from his vocoder, Megatron cut down as many as he could before he was once again grabbed and forced to his knees. A shiny blade came into his view and holding it was Halogen.

"You have failed, slave, now you will never leave." Halogen raised the sword above his head, waited a moment so that Megatron knew exactly what was coming, and then brought the blade down.

"NO!"

**AN: So, this chapter got a little away from me, which my chapters seem to be doing lately. Anyway, review and let me know what you think, and any ideas on what happens next.**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 8**


	28. Chapter 28

**MissCHSparkles: You're welcome. **

**Igeegeei: Yes, it takes place before the destruction of the omega lock**

**DEVINE.L: They can't be physically hurt, but they can be mentally.**

**QuantumSheep: No, not like Morpheus. The council's plan was more to trap Megatron's consciousness in Optimus' processor. **

**5 ways: Liked your idea, here's hoping I do it justice.**

**Chapter Summary: A Long Night**

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay – Inside Prime's Mind}

A blade shot out and halted the progress of Halogen's sword. The blue shimmering form of Optimus Prime pushed the high councilmember away from Megatron and swiped at the forms holding the Decepticon down. Megatron was quickly on his feet and two friends back to back against the horde.

"Knockout! How do we do this?"

"_Both of you must attack the virus together_," the medic replied. "_There is very little I can do from out here, I'm sorry my lord. The council's imprints can only be destroyed by joint power, that is all I can tell you_."

Optimus and Megatron looked at one another. "It is enough." Together they raised their cannons side by side and blew a Halogen to pieces. Then, remaining with their backs to one another, they held their arms raised, side-by-side, and shot their cannons in sync. The blasts hit their targets together, smashing into the council's duplicates and sending the frames crashing to the ground.

Spinning in a circle, Megatron and Optimus continued to fire at the encroaching enemy. The pile of bodies around them increased with each falling frame, and Megatron was pleased to see that no more duplicates appeared to take the place of the fallen. The only thing that kept this battle from being real was the lack of energon being splattered about.

Finally the last councilmember fell, a Traachan, and there were no more. For a moment Optimus and Megatron stood at the ready, waiting with primed cannons for any sign of movement but there was none. Slowly they straightened up and moved away from one another.

"Knockout, report."

"_All systems are clean, Lord Megatron. There is no sign of the virus and with the removal of the council's imprints I have been able to delete several hundred unnecessary strings of code_."

"Very good." Megatron turned to Optimus, who was gazing about him with a stunned expression.

"This is my mindscape," Optimus murmured, "and I do not like it." Without another word the scene shifted around them to be replaced by an image from Earth. Megatron did not recognize it but he admitted, silently to himself, that it was pleasant. They were both standing on a grassy hill, warmed by the sun while wind swept through the trees nearby.

"My friend," Optimus turned to Megatron, "are you ready to wake up?"

A small smiled graced Optimus' lips, "Yes."

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay)

Megatron opened his optics and carefully detached the cable from his medical port. He looked over with some slight trepidation as Knockout disconnected the other end of the cable from Optimus Prime. There was an interesting thing, with his processor restored who was it really on the medical berth, Orion Pax or Optimus Prime?

Blue optics came online and Megatron undid the restraints. The helm turned to him, regarding him for a moment before his friend spoke. "Megatron?"

"Yes."

An intake of air, cycled, and then vented. "You shot me."

Megatron smiled, "It was necessary, my friend. You would not have been cooperative otherwise."

Sitting up, the red and blue mech stared at his servos and frame with widened optics. "Is something wrong?"

"I do not know. I feel like myself, but then I do not." He looked up at Megatron, "It is as though two processors have shared my frame, leading two entirely different lives. I can hardly make sense of all the memories I'm reviewing."

"As your attending physician," Knockout stepped in, "I recommend a full night's recharge in order for your memory banks to be put into order, once you come back online tomorrow morning everything should have sorted itself out."

"An excellent suggestion, Knockout," Megatron steadied Optimus on his pedes, who acted like a sparkling receiving his youngling frame and wobbled fearfully.

It took no time at all to steer his old friend to the recharging berths behind the medical bay. Finding the largest berth possible, Megatron got Optimus situated and only breathed a sigh of relief once he saw the prime's systems shut down for recharge. Trying very hard not to skip with glee on his way out, Megatron exited the medical bay and made his way down the hallway to the nearest elevator.

For a moment the deck swayed beneath him, making Megatron grab hold of the wall for support. He waited until the spell passed before he straightened and continued on, hoping that Soundwave had been too busy with something else to see his leader's moment of weakness. He would have to recharge soon before Knockout got on his case about irresponsibility in maintaining his health after strenuous mental activity. No, he definitely did not need Knockout's nagging at a time like this.

First, though, he had to check on what had happened on the battlefield. By now it must be over yet he must still know the outcome, see the list of wounded, if there were injured, and check on the condition of the Autobots. It was good that Cybertronians could not get headaches that the humans complained about getting so much, otherwise his life would be that much more difficult.

He had actually not gone that far from the medical bay when he had company. [**Lord Megatron**?] The little scout, Bumblebee, was nervously standing before him.

"Ah, little scout," Megatron took advantage of the situation, not really caring at the moment if it upset the youngling but, by the AllSpark, he could not continue the pretense that everything was all right. Before Bumblebee had a chance to understand what was happening, Megatron settled a hand on his shoulder and tried his best not to lean too much of his greater bulk on the smaller mech.

No one could accuse Bumblebee of being slow on his pedes. While the situation was far from ideal, after all, who wanted to be this close to Megatron?, Bumblebee nevertheless did not shirk his duty. He tucked himself under the Decepticon's arm, and wrapped one of his own around Megatron's waist, or at least half way round anyway. While the Decepticon leader's optics showed surprise, Megatron nevertheless leaned gratefully on the little 'bot. Neither of them said anything as they progressed down the hallway.

Megatron was all for using the scout's assistance to the elevator and parting ways there with an unspoken agreement never to speak of this incident. The writer will allow Megatron a few minutes to believe that he could get away with this plan.

…

…

…

"Lord Megatron," Dreadwing greeted them, his optics betraying nothing of what he thought at seeing his surrogate father requiring assistance from the little Autobot. Megatron, on the other hand, mentally groaned, as he knew Dreadwing would later inquire about his health. Then there were also the score of Vehicons following Dreadwing, with the cuffed Autobots in tow. He would never get to live this down.

"Dreadwing," Megatron dearly wanted to let go of Bumblebee and stand up tall but he knew his frame would not handle the strain. The scout had come along at the right time, Knockout, blast him, would probably cackle with glee once he found out. "Report."

Dreadwing stepped aside so that both Megatron and Bumblebee could see his entourage. Arcee was in front, firmly clasped in the servos of one Vehicon and, thankfully, in stasis. The next was one of the Twins, the red one, and Megatron felt Bumblebee shift next to him.

It was that shift that distracted Megatron, that made him look down and fail to see in time what Bumblebee was able to. [**No**!] Bumblebee pushed Megatron towards the wall, a usually impossible feat for one his size but a key factor that helped him was that the Decepticon leader had been leaning on him. It was really quite simple just to shift that weight away from him, and that was what Bumblebee did.

Megatron, not expecting this sudden movement, went against the wall. Bumblebee thought the target was Megatron, but Sideswipe was not even aiming for the Deception leader. The Twin had seen Bumblebee and acted, breaking one arm free from his cuffs, and the grip of a Vehicon, to launch a blaster bolt at the scout.

By the time Megatron had gotten his pedes back under him it was all over. Sideswipe was down on the deck; Dreadwing had smashed the Twin repeatedly and then cuffed his servos and pedes. Bumblebee was lying beside Megatron, a hole near his spark chamber and energon leaking from the wound.

"Get them to the brig, Knockout can scrub them of their codes later!" Megatron, processor threatening to black out on him, bent down and hefted up Bumblebee in his arms.

"Lord Megatron!" Dreadwing protested, "Let me or one of the Vehicons take him!"

"You'll do as you're ordered!" Megatron snapped, before running back the way he had come with the wounded Bumblebee.

Knockout was definitely unprepared for Megatron's entrance into the medical bay and nearly fell down. However, he was able to quickly hook up life support to Bumblebee and begin working on the wound. Of course he would have liked to have known what had happened but questions could come later, anything could come after he had made sure Bumblebee was out of danger.

Or so he thought.

A crash made Knockout jump and turn around. Megatron had lost his balance and was leaning against the wall, optics blinking in weariness. Knockout needed only a second to think of what could have happened to cause this collapse.

"Of all the irresponsible—" Knockout could not finish, he just gave up. Making sure Bumblebee was stable for the moment; Knockout grabbed hold of Megatron and led him back to the emergency recharging berths. The only other large berth was next to where Optimus Prime was still deeply recharging, so Knockout set Megatron down there with firm orders to recharge immediately. "Honestly, call me a reckless, racing junky and what does he do? Go under two cortical psychic patches in less than five days and hardly let himself recover from either."

**AN: *****head thumps on the keyboard***** It's over! Optimus Prime is saved and the other Autobots will soon be cleaned of the bad codes. I can take a break now. Maybe sleep for a week and not worry about anything… Oh wait, there's still Smokescreen and Wheeljack, they're about due back soon I think. *facepalm***


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: 300 reviews! Still can't believe it!**

**FallenNietehre: Welcome and thanks for the review!**

**TheOddAngel: Was that shock? Lol.**

**Purest of the Hearts: Bee called him Lord Megatron out of respect, since the older mech had done so much for him.**

**Daywalker03: Welcome and thanks for the review. Yes, I got the idea and then it expanded farther than even I was expecting.**

**64: I keep wowing people.**

**Answerthecall: No idea how I'm going to work with Smokescreeen and Wheeljack**

**5 ways: You're welcome and thanks.**

**Starfire201: Shockwave's too busy, as you'll see.**

**Adoglover5: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**Thunderweb: Don't worry; Bumblebee is out of danger of being shot by friendlies again.**

**QuantumSheep: Odd vibe? Uh-oh.**

{Shockwave's Lab}

Starscream cowered in a corner, his frame shaking. His red optics were glued obediently on Shockwave's operation table, where the larger mech had told him to look. His spark ached to look away, to avert his optics from the gruesome sight of the scientist's experiments.

"At last," Shockwave said, pushing the discarded body onto the floor. "Clean that up, Starscream."

The seeker was quick to obey. Rushing forward to pick up the dead human and use a cloth to wipe away the mess. He was able to retreat from the room long enough to bury the human's remains, but returning to the lab was inevitable.

"Starscream," the seeker approached Shockwave, optics looking down at the cable the scientist held. Whimpering, Starscream raised his servos to stop Shockwave but a command left his frozen. His helm was jerked to the side and his medical port was wrenched open. The cable inserted and the necessary information downloaded, "You have your next target, bring him to me now."

Starscream nodded, turning away to leave, but Shockwave grabbed him. "You will contact no one. You will not warn your target or speak to any other human. Perform well and I will reward you with high-grade energon."

Nothing was said about failure, but then failure was not an option. Starscream took off running, transforming as soon as he cleared the entrance and engaging his afterburners. Flying was a seeker's joy; being grounded for too long could wear down a seeker's mentality and make them crazy. Shockwave knew this, and kept Starscream flying just enough to keep him, sane but not as much as the seeker would have wished.

Starscream allowed himself a brief moment to relish in the feel of the wind on his wings. Letting his processor clear, just for a little bit, and then he was abruptly brought back to reality by the pinging of his sensors warning him of his approach to Nevada. The mission was easy and he executed it perfectly. Swooping down just as his target was crossing the street on his bike, and snatching the human before he had time to react.

Flung harshly into the cockpit, the human was secured within a second. Amid the screams of bystanders, Starscream turned back and flew in the direction he had come. Going well beyond mach 4, the seeker disappeared within the blink of an eye from the inhabitants of Jasper, Nevada.

With his passenger there was no time to imagine that he was not under Shockwave's control. The human got over his initial shock quickly, it was not long before he started hitting the sides of the cockpit and yelling in a language that was not English. Starscream had not downloaded that particular language in his processor so he was unable to understand a word, which was probably for the best since knowing what Shockwave's victims were saying could be just as painful as watching them being taken apart.

This target was different though. Shockwave had known about this human, instead of just telling him to grab a specimen off the side of the road as in the past, there had been a file on this human. The last name had been familiar but Starscream did not have the processor power to run a search through his memory banks for the answer. The effort gone into selecting this one human from among billions meant that Shockwave had a bigger plan than simply cutting this human open.

Back at Schokwave's lair Starscream landed and ejected the human from his cockpit. Grabbing the human, Starscream headed down the hallway where Shockwave waited in his lab. The large, red optic held no regard for the seeker but with his prize. "Strap him onto the table."  
"Que Dios me ayude! Déjame ir robots extranos!"

"Bienvenidos a mi universo," Shockwave replied to the struggling human, before moving forward.

Starscream had not been ordered to stay so he quietly began his retreat. He was almost to the door before Shcokwave stopped him, "You will watch, Starscream, and bear witness to this new age."

Starscream cowered in the corner like before. This time was different though, Shockwave did not cut the human up but instead began to attach small metal rings around the human's throat, wrists and ankles. Once each piece was attached Shockwave tapped a few buttons and the metal rings shrunk till they were securely fastened around the human. Then they glowed orange and the human screamed, the sounds burning Starscream's audios and making him cringe but Shockwave appeared unaffected.

It took a minute and then it was over. Shockwave released the restraints fixed his one optic on the human gasping at his feet. "Stand."

Starscream's vents sputtered as the human obeyed. "Whom do you serve?" Shockwave asked.

"I…serve…you.'

**AN: Apologies if the Spanish isn't correct.**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 8**


	30. Chapter 30 revised

**Opusj: Welcome and thanks for the review! Shockwave's got a plan.**

**Nobody: Everyone's a critic, thanks for pointing that out. And thanks for the review!**

**5 ways: Raf can speak English so I just assumed that his family could also speak English to some degree.**

**TheOddAngel: Just for you :) **

**64: I don't like the predacons, but don't worry, Shockwave will have an army.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks**

**QuantumSheep: Of course I do.**

{_Nemesis_ – Cargo Bay}

Arcee ignored the chaos around her and just sat on an overturned, empty energon storage case. Coming out of stasis had been a nightmare, she had been grateful that Prime had been there to greet each of them and explain what had happened. She felt violated, not by Knockout, surprisingly, but by the council. She had never wanted to be a soldier, she had felt unsure about Megatron's revolution and had decided to just go neutral in the whole thing.

While Arcee ruminated about the past there were more lively conversations going on around her. Sunstreaker found himself in that odd position of giving comfort and restraining his red twin, when usually Sideswipe was the voice of reason and the yellow twin was the hothead. Sideswipe had been inconsolable for the first hour, going so far as to try to offline himself after he remembered shooting Bumblebee. His plan thwarted, Sideswipe had then turned the blame on Prime, yelling and cursing at him as Sunstreaker and a few Vehicons held him back. Prime had taken it all, not even stopping Sideswipe when the red twin had managed to get a servo free and punch the larger mech. Now Sideswipe had moved from blame to guilt. Wrapped in Sunstreaaker embrace, the red twin despaired of Bumblebee ever forgiving him, despite his brother's reassurances to the contrary.

Ratchet was not in the cargo bay. The medic had recovered the fastest from the shock and had requested to join Knockout in treating Bumblebee. Bulkhead, on the other hand, had smashed a few crates and was looking to break some more. He had shouted at Sideswipe to stop worrying, that Bumblebee was still alive, but the wide mech was carrying just as much guilt as the red twin, just for the dead. He had been so proud of being a Wrecker, of telling stories of his deeds to Miko, but he realized that Dreadwing was justified in his pursuit in wiping the Wreckers out.

"Miko!" Bulkhead stopped, turning to the other three bots who had snapped out of their own lines of thought at his outburst. "Scrap! What about the kids?"

Arcee was off the crate and running to the door in a second. Megatron and Prime had put them in here since the quarter level was packed already, and this had been the most available place for them to recharge or refuel if needed. There were two Vehicon seekers outside, sentries who were to be as much of a deterrent against the Autobots roaming as they were to be against other Decepticons coming to take a peek at the 'disillusioned' enemy.

"We need to talk to Prime!" Arcee said, as she skidded to a stop before the two Vehicons blocking her exit. "Please, it's important!"

A shared look passed between the two before they reached a decision. "I will escort you, the rest of your group will stay here."

Arcee did not protest but quickly followed her escort down to the hallway to the elevator. She was trying to remember when the last time was that they had seen their human charges. Raf had been with them when Prime had activated the protocol and she remembered that her leader had, basically, kicked Raf out. Then he had called Jack and Miko and told them to stay away for their own safety until further notice. Miko had not taken that sitting down, but neither had she been willing to go against Prime, luckily.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Megatron was more than happy to accept his friend's decision. Optimus was dead, it was a name the council had given Orion Pax and he wanted nothing to do with it anymore but he would continue to uphold the mantle of the primes, since that position had been around long before the council's corruption. So, it was Orion Pax who stood beside Megatron on the bridge of the Nemesis, the Prime of the Cybertronians. The change from Optimus back to this new Orion was noticeable to everyone. Instead of being a mech who has in control and self-assured, Orion's strengths were tempered by his shyness and his willingness to listen to other ideas. Like he had in the past, Orion helped balance Megatron, the two worked well together and the Decepticon leader was sure that this time around the ideals for which he had started the revolution would be achieved.

Megatron was currently bringing Orion up to speed on where they had at least pinpointed MECH's base. The situation with Shockwave was less known and Soundwave was off in a corner zooming through hours of surveillance videos in the blink of an optic. When Arcee was escorted onto the bridge Megatron had a sudden epiphany that seeing Autobots walking freely around the _Nemesis_ was a sight he was going to have to get used to.

"Arcee?" Orion asked, raising an optic ridge at her approach. Both leaders had felt it better for the newly scrubbed coded Autobots to rest from the mental trauma but obviously the small recon soldier had other ideas.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Prime, but we are concerned about our human charges. We've had no contact with them for at least three days now and while the Decepticons aren't a threat to them anymore you and I both know that Earth has its fair share of danger."

"Raf is down in the medical bay," Orion said, remembering the way the boy had forgiven him for the mech's harsh treatment when he had thrown Raf out a few days ago. "He said he would not leave Bumblebee's side. As for Jack and Miko, yes, there is cause for concern here." Orion looked at Megatron, "we will also have to contact Agent Fowler and think of some way to calm Raf's family down. They are most likely quite distressed over the disappearance of their youngest."

Megatron felt like whacking himself in the helm but restrained himself. "I quite forgot about the sparkling's caretakers."

Orion nodded, "We will have to ask Raf to call his parents. I'm sure Soundwave can set up a secure line?"

"Of course," Megatron turned to call his communications officer but was surprised to see Soundwave approaching rather hurriedly. "Soundwave report!"

Soundwave came to a stop before Orion and Megatron. He started playing various audio clips, "_It just came out of the sky_!" "…_grabbed him right off the street_!" "Dónde está mi marido?!" "_The Esquivel family has been placed under government protection due to the disappearance of their youngest son and the public abduction of Mr. Esquivel_." "_Are we under attack_?" "…_Japanese robots_…" "…_aliens_?"

Silence reigned on the bridge as all the mechs and femme digested what they had just heard. They were stunned, their processors whirling with this new information and looking to each other in astonishment. Arcee summed up the entire scene with one appropriate word and everyone agreed with her.

"Scrap!"

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: So everyone's happy with Orion's decision to drop 'Optimus'? Just asking 'cause none of you commented on it last chapter.**

**Starfire201: Yes, you did! Hmm, Arachnid huh? I see possibilities.**

**Deception is Decepticon: I was wondering what happened to you.**

**Thunderweb: Shockwave did not kidnap a kid, he had Starscream grab Raf's dad, and he knew it would be noticed. That was the point.**

**DEVINE.L: the Japanese line was more in reference with the first Transformers movie, when Sam is talking to Mikaela about Bumblebee and saying that it was most likely Japanese. **

**Sora Matasuki: Be vocal, sometimes it helps.**

**Answerthecall: I can promise that nothing really, really bad will happen to the children.**

**64: Keep reading and you'll find out.**

**Igeegeei: Raf's dad. I'm thinking about Starscream, but I might let him suffer a bit more to help him grow up.**

**5 ways: See? Just like I thought.**

**FallenNietehre: That's a good reaction, right?**

**Chapter summary: Megatron is an accommodating host.**

{_Nemesis_ - Bridge}

"Our priority should be to bring Mrs. Darby, Jack and Miko to the _Nemesis_ immediately," Orion said.

Megatron raised an optic ridge, "Of course, why don't I open a zoo as well? After all, I've already taken in your Autobots, what's another three or four humans? Are there any homeless animals you wish to rescue? Perhaps I could even be like that biblical figure Noah?"

"Who's that?" Arcee asked, earning her a look from the Decepticon leader.

"You have lived how many years on that organic planet and have not read their oldest record of their history?" he asked.

"You know I would not encroach upon your hospitality any longer than necessary," Orion said, stepping in to prevent any animosity build up between Megatron and Arcee. "However, with this very clear attack on Raf's family I feel Shockwave is making himself known, or at the very least deliberately alerting us of his actions."

"Naturally I agree with you," Megatron smirked. "Arcee, you and Bulkhead will go down to Earth and retrieve your charges, along with their parental units if they wish to come."

Arcee looked at him before turning to Orion, "Your orders, sir?"

Orion sighed, "Arcee, while we are on the _Nemesis_ Megatron's word is above mine as he is our host, I do, however, agree with him on this."

Arcee nodded and Soundwave opened a ground bridge through which she jumped quickly. "I suppose, my friend, that we should go over terms of a ceasefire or a treaty of some sort so as to avoid any confusion over one of us giving orders to each other's soldiers. For my part, I would prefer to disband the Autobot faction, as it no longer stands for any noble cause."

Megatron waved his servo dismissively, "There will be plenty of time to discuss such things after we deal with MECH and Soundwave." He turned to the viewscreen, "Since we are, as of yet, unsure where Shockwave is located it is best to go after the enemy that we do know. Soundwave has pinpointed MECH's base at the border of Canada and Alaska. I shall assemble several squadrons of grounder Vehicons and we will attack within one hour."

"Are we permitted to accompany you?" Orion asked.

Megatron gave him an appraising glance, "Could you kill a human, Orion? Make no mistake in thinking that human lives will not be taken today."

"Surely not all of them—"

Megatron moved in closely, making sure that no one other than Orion could hear him, "Everyone within MECH must be eliminated. They know too much about us and there is no way to determine quickly who had a hand in torturing your scout and who did not. Any human with the knowledge of the slave code must die; it is the only way to fully erase that plague's existence. I will not excuse a single life, no matter the consequence, MECH must be fully purged."

Orion sighed, "Those who live should value their lives and those of others above everything else. I cannot condone a massacre, but I do understand what you are saying, Megatron."

"A massacre is often termed to people who have been killed without defense," Megatron quipped. "I assure you that Silas' men will hardly be defenseless, the man is too crafty to be taken unawares. It's not like there will be sparklings around the place, those men are adults and can be fully held responsible for their actions. Silas will be expecting an attack, and will most likely have weapons closely resembling our technology due to the times he has been able to study our people! Attacking MECH is no different from attacking an Autobot or Decepticon stronghold, which we have both done countless times over the years."

"That was not me," Orion whispered.

Megatron looked away, angry with himself before he rallied and looked at Orion, "You will stay here and oversee Soundwave's investigation for Shockwave's whereabouts, as well as keeping an eye on your Autobots and make sure they don't do anything foolish."

The relief in Orion's optics made Megatron turn away. He knew his friend was not weak, nor was Prime a coward, but they had never agreed on violence being the answer to solving conflicts. Megatron was all for using words to solve those situations that could be resolved by negotiation, but sometimes fighting back was the only clear way to get one's point across.

"You also have leave to convert an unoccupied space into living quarters for the humans that will have everything they need in order to survive here. Nothing luxurious, I am not running a hotel after all, but just the basics of what they need to keep themselves clean and fed."

Orion nodded, the look in his optics signaling that he was already calculating what they would need and how to get it. "I'm sure with Soundwave's and Knockout's help I will be able to find a suitable place for the humans to stay." Megatron nodded and turned to walk away, but Orion stopped him, "Megatron, you've changed." His friend raising an optic ridge at him made Orion clarify his statement, "I mean, from how you were before the war. It's a good change, your anger has been tempered by being in command, I think, and you really have become a champion for the weak."

Megatron tilted his helm, thinking back and smiled when he remembered. "That was what I wanted to be from the beginning, wasn't it? To fight for those who could not fight for themselves."

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

"How are you really coping with what happened?" Knockout asked. The red medic was leaning against the wall near the table where Bumblebee's unconscious frame was laying. His optics flickered briefly to the small body resting lightly on the scout's chassis, marveling not for the first time how connected Raf and Bumblebee were.

Ratchet sighed; his servos were meticulously cleaning Knockout's medical tools for the sole purpose of having something to do. "When I think about the times when I refused to help a patient unless they had something to offer to the Autobot cause I feel sickened. Decepticons and Autobots died on my watch and I just stood by without bating an optic, if they weren't useful than there was no point in saving them. I can see all their faces, the fear in their optics of those who were conscious and those they weren't I off-lined without a qualm."

Knockout did not move or speak. He was astounded beyond belief; this was more than even he had imagined to be the case. The red medic thought of the lives he had struggled to save, feeling inept when he lost a patient due to faulty equipment or his own poor skill. How he had struggled to perfect his medical skills so that he could do everything within his power to save a life.

A groan from the table had the two medics turn to look at Bumblebee. Blue optics came online and looked uncertainly around the room before resting on Knockout, who was closest to the scout. When Bumblebee tried to move the red medic was quick to move forward to stop him.

"Easy, Bumblebee, don't squish your friend." Knockout smiled when Bumblebee lifted his head enough to see the sleeping Raf on his chest plates.

[**Is he alright**?] Bumblebee asked, while cupping a servo around the small human. He hummed and warmed his chest plates so that Raf could feel his guardian's happiness at having the small human close.

"Oh, he fine," Knockout waved off, "It took a few minutes to calm him down when he found out you'd been shot and then a deal of persuading to stay out of the way until I was done operating, and then of course nothing would placate him until he was resting on you."

Bumblebee ran a finger up and down Raf's back to comfort the sleeping human. He smiled when the boy tried to burrow into him, subconsciously receiving his guardian's comfort and wanting more of it. The sound of someone else moving caused Bumblebee to look up and warble in surprise.

"It's alright," Knockout said quickly. "Ratchet's processor has been scrubbed, as have your other Autobot friends."

[**Sideswipe**?] Bumblebee asked in a low tone, dreading the answer.

"He's all right," Knockout answered. "Well, as far as being cleaned from the council's codes, but Ratchet told me the Twin is doing some major self destruction over his error in shooting you. I will not pressure you into doing this, but as soon as you feel comfortable doing it you should talk to him."

Bumblebee nodded, leaning his head back, [**Not now, but soon**.] His life had certainly been major messed-up by both Silas and the council. Briefly, Bumblebee brought up the memory file of Sideswipe shooting him and hastily shoved it away. [**I was the target, wasn't I**?] Knockout and Ratchet looked at him, [**I thought Megatron was at first, but it was me Sideswipe was shooting it, wasn't it**]

Knockout did not lie, "Yes."

Bumblebee off-lined his optics with a sigh. He knew that he really did not blame Sideswipe, but trying to get over the fact that his brother had shot him would take some doing. Recharge was a good option right now; the sleep cycle would help clear up his processor and delay the matter for the time being.

**AN: Next week's issue: The Decepticons take on MECH!**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: FYI, I've been having internet problems where it takes a few hits of the reload button to get a page to load fully so getting this chapter up was not easy. If these problems continue the next chapter could be delayed for awhile, just don't panic I WILL finish this story.**

**64: Now what did I do?**

**5 ways: Thanks.**

**QuantumSheep: CRITIC! Now I feel better. Megatron has admitted to having ups and downs in a past chapter. He mentions losing his temper, and he was quite angry at Orion's supposed treachery in siding with the council against him. Plus, Cybertron being reduced to a lifeless rock really has to do with the AllSpark being ejected and Optimus did that. I'm thinking about doing Outtakes for this story to kind of fill in here and there, what do you think?**

**DEVINE.L: Lol, glad you liked that part and I hope no one thought you were crazy. I'm going to be trying to throw more humor in so beware, though I think this chapter is ok.**

**Thunderweb; I think I've built a substantial case the MECH and Silas must be considered a threat and therefore taken out. Honestly, there's no way Silas is surviving this.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks.**

**TransformersBeeFan: Don't worry, MECH will pay… But Silas is not done yet.**

{_Nemesis_ – Landing Platform}

Megatron was quite sure he had been mad an hour ago. Being around Orion definitely brought out Megatron's more humorous side, and what in the AllSpark had made him open his ship up like a hotel? He should really charge Orion rent, and the humans!

_Especially the humans_, he thought as he watched the Vehicons lining up on the deck. _At least two of the humans work, if I remember correctly, they should easily be able to afford to pay for the space they'll be taking up_. Two of the Vehicons pushed each other, quietly arguing that the other was in their spot, _On the other hand, what would I do with human money_? _Hmm, there must be some way they can make themselves useful and less of an annoyance. Just thinking of all the things they require to survive makes me shudder_. _Regardless of what Orion may say or do I will _not_ become attached to the organics! I am simply providing them a safe haven so that Shockwave or MECH cannot use them; after all, no one deserves that fate_.

Thinking of MECH and Shockwave stirred up that old anger in Megatron that had driven him to many a mindless rampage. The two were obviously working together, Shockwave's base lines in the slave code taken from Bumblebee showed that but Megatron did not believe the scientist was _with_ Silas. The human had backstabbed Starscream after his former lieutenant had helped MECH, and Shockwave did not trust easily. In all likelihood, Silas was using Shockwave and vice versa, but if Megatron had to bet who would come out on top of the double-crossing he would place his money of Shockwave.

"Quit squabbling!" Megatron grabbed the two quarreling Vehicons and banged their helms together, and was surprised when he did it with less force than he usually used. _Orion is making me soft_, he thought as he turned away from the staring Vehicons. _No, not Orion_, he realized._ I started to feel my spark again before I got my friend back_. Megatron was glad the seeker squadron was ready, now the grounder Vehicons were lining up behind them. _Little scout_, he thought, _I will have to deal with this after I return._

"Soundwave, open a ground bridge to MECH's location." When the green portal opened, Megatron and the squadron of seekers transformed and flew through it. They would destroy the warehouse and any upper defense systems Silas had made, clearing the way for the grounders to go beneath the surface.

{Above the Warehouse Hiding MECH's Base}

The green swirl of light started as a small dot and expanded out rather quickly. Megatron came out first, followed by a score of seekers in a tight formation. There was no pause to take in their location or scan the area, Megatron dived and the Vehicons followed, opening fire on the warehouse below them.

A score of red and purple lasers rained down on the warehouse and blasted it to pieces. Openings in the ground around the building opened up and turrets came up. They swiveled in the direction of the seekers and opened up with a volley of blue laser fire.

"Evasive action!" Megatron ordered, banking to the right and his squadron obeyed. They split off to avoid the enemy fire but did not fly haphazardly to dodge the lasers. Instead the seekers flew in zigzag patterns with their wingmen, spinning and flipping to the side as needed to evade MECH's weapon fire.

Megatron spiraled faster than a human fighter and opened fire on a turret. A quick scan of another turret showed a weakness and he quickly relayed the information to the Vehicons, not fast enough though as he saw a seeker get hit in the wing and spin out of control to the ground. Megatron did not have time to check on the Vehicon's condition as the five remaining turrets were still rotating around on their pedestals and had yet to cease firing. The seekers dropped closer to the ground, shooting trees out of their way if necessary and approached the turrets from an angle they were unable to shoot at.

Megatron's scan of the turrets had pointed out the guns' design to shoot more at the sky than at the ground. So the turrets could not lower their barrels to fire at the seekers closer to the earth. Megatron and the Vehicons opened fire and destroyed the remaining turrets, swirling to avoid the explosions.

Transforming, Megatron landed beside the wrecked warehouse and pulled the doors apart. He blasted at anything, feeling good to finally expel some of the pent of frustration and anger he had had to keep at bay during his fights with Bumblebee and Orion. The Vehicon seekers assisted him in pulling the warehouse down and one practically crowed when he called out to Megatron after finding the elevator shaft.

"Soundwave, send down the ground units."

A ground bridge opened a few feet away and the Vehicon grounder squads came through. Row upon row of cars kept coming through, five squads in all, and the portal closed. Another six squads were being held in reserve back at the _Nemesis_, Megatron believed in not showing his full hand, especially against an opponent he had yet to meet in battle.

Megatron would have preferred to go down the elevator shaft first but five Vehicons volunteered quickly for the job. The Decepticon leader watched the grounders jump down the shaft, their servos grabbing hold of whatever was available to make their descent by short jumps. Once they had reached the bottom they signaled the all clear, and Megatron and the rest of the grounders headed down the elevator shaft.

Smashing through the doors blocking his way, Megatron came to an abrupt halt. Instantly his cannons came up to bear and he could hear the Vehicons behind him prepping their weapons as well but they would not fire until he did. He should have expected this, he should not have been surprised by what was in front of him, and it really should not have shocked him.

A row of mechs were facing Megatron and the Vehicons. Their yellow optics were lifeless, staring ahead of them without acknowledging the Decepticons' entrance. They opened fire before Megatron did, and he and the Vehicons were forced to jump to the sides to dodge the blue lasers.

"You are trespassing on MECH property," one of the unknown mechs said, "leave or be destroyed."

"Don't make me laugh," Magtron growled, raising his cannons and firing. The Vehicons followed his example and, after they had fired their own rounds, rushed the mechs. Megatron grappled with the closest mech, taking stock of the situation around him before he deemed it safe enough to scan the mech in his grasp. He was beyond relieved with what he found.

"_Destroy them_!" he ordered over his internal com. "_They are but human robotic constructions_."

Lifeless robots, that's all they were. Orion had told him of Nemesis Prime, Silas' mockery robot made to look like Orion and shame his name. These robots were the same, looking like mechs but they had not been made on Cybertron, merely constructed from materials MECH had gotten ahold of to resemble the alien visitors. They were a sham! A farce!

Megatron did not appreciate being taunted, especially by such a deranged lifeform like Silas. It was with spark-warming glee, that the Deceptocin leader, ignoring the robot's punches, grabbed hold of his opponent's head and ripped it off. He did not stop there though, as he suspected that simply taking the head off would not stop one of Silas' toys. Activating his wrist blade, Megatron quickly sliced through the robot before charging for the next one.

Two Vehicons were down, one was moving slowly back to the exit but the other was still. There were only twelve robots in the room and the Vehicons, led by Megatron, overcame them in quick order. The Decepticon leader ordered his grounders to regroup and then split off by squad to search the base. "No one goes anywhere alone."

With one squad following him, Megatron headed off down a hallway. He recognized the area as the direction Bumblebee had been taken; meaning the lab where the little scout had been tortured was along this path as well. With thoughts of revenge swirling through his processor, Megatron kept his cannons primed as he headed through the MECH base.

The hallway the Decepticons traveled down had flickering lights, casting eerie light flashes around them. Had they been a squad of human soldiers they would no doubt be gripping their rifles as tightly as possible and trying not to jump at every questionable sound. Megatron was trying not to worry, but he was. Was Silas seriously hiding behind his robots as his only means of defense? No, Megatron would not make the mistake of believing that, more than likely MECH had something else in store for intruders.

A wail echoed down the hallway and the Decepticons froze. Megatron recognized it, only because he knew of no other Cybertronian who needed to communicate by tones. _Little scout_, Megatron thought with a start. But that was impossible; Bumblebee was back on the Nemesis recovering from Sideswipe's attack. The scream and beeps, translating in his helm as frantic pleas, vibrated in his processor like a discorded symphony.

Snarling in Cybertronian, Megatron hurried forward, having just enough sense to keep an optic out for traps. He and the Vehicons covered the distance with a quick, cautious step, walking into the brightly lit room prepared to fire.

Only to stop as he saw where the sounds were emerging from. A large viewscreen on the opposite wall was showing the little scout bound to a large table, trying to twist away from a cable being lowered. Megatron flinched when at the damage Bumblebee caused himself by not keeping still and his pain filled cries tugged at the Decepticon's spark. Pulling his optics away from the screen, Megatron realized he was in the room where it had taken place. There was the table, the hideous cable hanging above it and coating both surfaces were dried patches of energon. This was where the little scout had regained consciousness after the EMP, this was where the youngling had been defiled and enslaved. The Decepticon leader had never thought he could hate a room before, he had not hated the council room after all, just the mechs in it, but this place had earned Megatron's hatred.

"Lord Megatron!" Two Vehicons slammed into his back, knocking him forward and taking his place. The cannon blasts that had been aimed at Megatron hit the two Vehicons dead center in their spark chambers. By the time their lifeless frames hit the floor their deaths had already been avenged.

The Decepticon leader rolled and got up, firing his cannons. The two humans who had stepped out of their hiding places with the shoulder cannons never got a second chance to fire. Megatron's blasts pulverized the MECH soldiers where they stood, reducing them to unidentifiable pieces. Yet Megatron did not stop there.

Without pausing, Megatron opened fire on everything around him. His cannons blew apart the view screen, the table and the computers. He ripped the cable from the ceiling and smashed it into a wall, blasting it with his cannon for good measure. The Deceptidon leader destroyed the room, leaving nothing in it recognizable.

The Vehicons hung back as they watched their leader pulverize the area. They were silent but they were not idle. While the grounders watched the exits for any more surprises those able to filmed Megatron's rampage, intending to share the video with every Vehicon on the _Nemesis_. The grounders were not dumb, they knew why their lord was destroying the room with so much vehemence. It was for this that they joined him after he had freed them from the slave code; it was for this that they put up with his moments of near insanity killing rampages. To seek retribution for a Cybertronian not even of his faction, to destroy the place where said 'bot had been tortured, this was what set Megatron apart from the council and even Orion Pax. A wrong, no matter whom it had been done to, must still be righted and the fact that the Decepticon leader took it upon himself to personally rectify it easily erased his faults in the Vehicons' processors.

Satisfied that nothing in the room could ever be used again, Megatron exited the room and the Vehicons followed behind him. Reports from the other Vehicons informed Megatron of two or three armed humans here or there and no sign of Silas. The anger cleared from his processor due to expelling it when destroying the room, Megatron was thinking clearly once again and calculating. Where was Silas? Megatron wanted nothing more than to pull the human apart one limb at a time, but considering the yucky ramifications of even that act the Decepticon would have to settle for a more distant, agonizing death. However, thinking of different ways to kill the human was not hurrying Silas into his sites.

Where was he? Was Silas that much of a coward not to come face him? Perhaps the human was more like the council than Megatron had originally thought, they to had preferred to hide behind those under their power than actually face him in combat.

Coming to another room revealed four armed humans and one in a white coat. The young man in white had a headset on and was the only one who did not turn around at the Decepticons' entrance. The four soldiers opened fire but a few laser shots sent their bodies thud to the floor. The fifth man, now realizing something was wrong, turned from where he was sitting and Megatron grabbed him. Pulling the headset off and smashing it between his fingers, the Decepticon glared down at the shaking human. He appeared to be in his late twenties and since he was not armed, Megatron pegged him for a scientist rather than a soldier.

"Where is Silas?" The Decepticon tightened his hold; just enough to tell his prisoner that he was not messing around.

"I don't know! I swear! My job was just to control the robots while he evacuated the base."

"Evacuate where?"

"I don't know! Only he knew!" Megatron squeezed tighter, "Please! Please I swear I'm telling the truth! I don't know! Everyone who was being evacuated there went to Room 28B but there's no security camera there so I couldn't see where they went! Please don't kill me! Please!"

Megatron stared down at the human in his grasp and an old memory came to his processor. Once again he was standing triumphant over a fallen opponent in the gladiator ring, the cheers of the crowd drumming in his audios, screaming for him to finish off the loser. Below him the young gladiator looked up at him with coolant leaking from his blue optics, pleading for his life. Inside he wanted to spare the youngling, but a motion from his master made him lift his sword and deliver the killing stroke.

"Please! Please!" The human continued to beg, salt water gathering in his blue eyes and threatening to spill. Megatron quickly tossed the human to the side, ignoring the hard landing and the cry of pain. He spun on his peds and was out of the room, the Vehicons following, searching for Room 28B.

When he found it, Megatron stepped in with his cannons ready to fire but there were no targets. The room was empty, the only exit being the door the Decepticon had entered through. He could see scuff marks on the floor where heavy things had been dragged but they stopped at the opposing wall from the door. Thinking it was a hidden entranceway, Megatron blasted the wall but only dirt was on the other side.

Red optics gleaming with barely controlled rage; Megatron stared at the barren room. "Where are you Silas?"

**AN: So, I'm turning my couch into a fortress to weather out any unhappy reviewers.**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	33. Chapter 33

**Purest of Hearts: I don't know, maybe I do that for the sequel. *****clasps hands over mouth***** Opps. **

**5 ways: Had.**

**64: I can live with tormenting you, thanks.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review, and please stick around.**

**QuantumSheep: Nooooo! You totally ruined my ending! To me it made perfect sense that Silas would want to be a Cybertron since he sees them as perfect, but no, you just had to complain about it. Now I gotta scramble for something new. Hmm. What about if he was put in a mech-suit against his will? Since Shockwave is just using him and now he knows how to control humans so… What you think? But Silas won't be the boss battle, that's {Spoiler deleted}**

**Starfire201: Cowards rarely see themselves as such.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks!**

{_Nemesis_}

Megatron was not in a happy mood when he gate bridged back to his ship. Despite his melancholy temper he did oversee the wounded being sent to the medical bay and the dead properly honored. He had wanted to end this war before it could escalate, but once again he had failed.

Who knew that a human could make him feel incompetent? There had been far too many surprises down in that base, and none of them pleasant. Of course, Silas had fled, probably had started making plans to do so when Megatron had grabbed Bumblebee since that would mean the location of his base was compromised. The human had proved to be an adversary the Cybertronians could not take lightly, why then had Megatron made the mistake that MECH would just be sitting there like they had nothing to worry about?

Megatron vented his systems, anger in his core welling up and wanting to lash out at himself. However, bashing one's helm off a wall was considered bad conduct of a superior officer and certainly not something the ship's crew should see. If he still had the urge to bang against something by the time he went to his room to recharge then he would clobber himself then. Knockout especially would be unnerved by the sight.

"Lord Megatron!" _Speak of the rust-bucket_, Megatron growled mentally as the elevator before him opened to reveal Knockout.

"Knockout, should you not be attending to the injured?" Megatron pulled himself together, burying his anger deep; the failed annihilation of MECH had shaken him more than he had thought. Best not to let Knockout know that his leader was being sorely tempted to inflict personal frame damage. _That_ would surely make the medic shut him down for a long recharge, at the worst.

"I left Ratchet and two Vehicons attending to it, I wanted to check on you, my lord."

"Well, now that you've checked on me you should go back to the medical bay."

"Just let me do a check-up of your inner systems, my lord, and I'll be out of your processor." Megatron briefly considered pummeling Knockout into the floor, it was definitely a tempting thought.

Checking the vicinity and finding it clear, Megatron lowered his frame. Knockout was quick to insert a cable into his medical port, run a system check and then disconnect. The unpleasant business over with, Megatron straightened and looked down at the medic.

"All systems normal, Lord Megatron, some dents but your own repair systems will heal those. I'll deliver my report on the injured within a half hour."

"See that you do," Megatron turned to go but then paused. "Knockout, do you have an empty pad available?" His medic was certainly curious about what he wanted, but nevertheless handed over the desired item. Megatron tapped away, detailing his plan and then gave it back to Knockout, "Let me know when you can implement this."

Knockout stared at the pad, "Of course, Lord Megatron."

Megatron entered the elevator and was taken up to the bridge. When he walked onto the command center of the _Nemesis_ it was to see Orion in deep discussion with Soundwave, and by deep he meant that his communications officer was linked to Orion's processor telepathically. He hoped their news was better than what he had to report; anything to salvage this day would be appreciated.

Dreadwing was the only officer who acknowledged Megatron's entrance. The Decepticon leader noticed his SIC give him a cursory glance, no doubt making sure he was not dodging Knockout for any needed repairs. Only Knockout, however, could get away with actually inquiring about his health and even that was pushing it. Megatron detested receiving medical help, as a gladiator it was a sign of proving one's durability in enduring an injury for as long as possible, even longer. That undesired part of his gladiator coding had been impossible to delete being as it was woven into his personality.

"How long have they been talking like this?" Megatron enquired, indicating Orion and Soundwave.

"Half an hour," Dreadwing answered, his optics straying back to Megatron and full of questions. He was not the only one who was wondering what had happened in the MECH base, only knowing that nothing good, since Megatron was not crowing with victory. Something had gone dreadfully wrong.

Megatron stepped forward, watching Soundwave communicate with Orion and felt his anger dissipating. He was not angry that his communications officer had let Orion know that he was telepathic, getting angry would only be a sign that he did not trust his friend and that was not true. Rather, Megatron was relieved that Soundwave had shown Orion, secrets were always harder to keep when those not in the know were staying in such close quarters.

The two finally broke apart and turned to him. "Silas ground bridged out of the base with most of the MECH forces before I could reach him," Megatron said, going for bluntness rather then drawing out an interrogation.

"Ground bridged?" Orion asked.

"Yes, there was no other exit from the base save for the way we went in. Obviously, Shockwave was not done with his human associates, otherwise he would have left them to their fate." Megatron looked at Soundwave, "Our priority now is to find Shockwave, taking him out will greatly cripple Silas and hinder his movements without an available ground bridge, as I doubt Shockwave is stupid enough to give MECH such a piece of engineering." Megatron watched the two share a look, "What is it?"

"We both agree that another mech is under the slave code and most likely working for Shockwave instead of MECH this time."

"Who?" Megatron all but roared, could they not get ahead of these cretins?

"Starscream."

That brought Megatron up short, "And what evidence led you to this conclusion?" It was then that Megatron noticed the healing dents and scratched painting in Orion's frame. "You left the ship?"

Orion dipped his helm in acknowledgement, "I did." Then he quickly added, "I did not go alone."

"I don't care if you had the whole armada on your exhaust pipe!" Megatron shouted. "You were not cleared for combat! There is no way, with two medics on board, that any kind of this irresponsibility could have—"

"The medics were not informed of the mission."

Megatron drew himself up, "Of course they weren't, and that's why your injuries show no sign of treatment… Are those gauge marks?" Megatron indicated the three long stripes down Orion's side, the wiring underneath was exposed but luckily there was no sign of broken energon lines. "Report yourself to the medical bay now!"

"You are hardly in pristine condition yourself," Orion pointed out, trying to maneuver out of Megatron's hold as the leader propelled him to the door.

"I, unlike you my friend, had the forethought to have a medic meet me halfway. Now, the Vehicons need to see examples such as ourselves going to the medical bay as they can be very squeamish seeing a medic, so go see Ratchet or Knockout. I recommend my medic, as he is less likely to hit you with a wrench before treating you. Off you go."

Once Orion was pushed out of the bridge door, Megatron wheeled on Soundwave. "First, you are going to show me what happened while I was away and then we are going to have a long discussion about allowing non-combat approved mechs out on missions and then not sending them to the medical bay when they obviously need to go!"

Soundwave looked pointedly at Megatron's dents, "Knockout already cleared me, check the security tapes if you don't believe me. Now show me what happened!"

The TIC turned and ran one of his data cables to the view screen and plugged it in.

**AN: So they know about Starscream, but how? Stay tuned to find out.**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	34. Chapter 34

**Starfire201: He knows, he just doesn't care.**

**MissCHSparkles: answers to questions here.**

**Purest of Hearts: Nope, not Ravage.**

**QuantumSheep: Hmm, a challenge, I will definitely think about that**

**DEVINE.L: Lol**

**Thunderweb: Here you go.**

{_Nemesis_ – What happened while Megatron was gone}

Orion watched the grounders go through the ground bridge, on another screen he could see the Vehicon seekers and Megatron standing amongst the ruined warehouse. From what he had seen there had been no human casualties in the above ground battle, but Orion was sure that would change once the Decepticons went below the surface.

_And what do I think about that_? Orion asked himself. Humans were as much of a familiar race to him as they were unfamiliar, his memories of them were like a movie where he saw what happened but was removed from it. He knew Jack, Miko and Raf quite well, and yet they were strangers to him, conversation between them was awkward. Oddly, Orion felt more comfortable around the Decepticons than he did with the other Autobots or their human wards. The bridge crew were at ease around him, perhaps because they had seen how Megatron had accepted him so readily.

"Orion," Dreadwing called to him, "Soundwave has something to report."

Orion moved over to Soundwave's area and watched the view screen that showed a location on Earth. "What is the situation?"

Soundwave brought up the picture of Mr. Esquivel, it was labeled missing. Then he brought up more pictures, each man was labeled missing but from different parts of the world. A blurry picture came up, an object in the sky, Soundwave enhanced it and Orion saw it was an airplane, but like none of the human designs he knew of. Soundwave brought up similar pictures of the same fighter and linked them with the locations of the missing people.

"You believe this fighter is a seeker and responsible for the kidnappings of these men?" Orion asked, his processor whirling at the possibilities. "I realize that Mr. Esquivel's disappearance was to gain our attention but I do not recognize any of the other men who are missing."

Soundwave looked at Dreadwing, who shrugged unhelpfully. Sighing through his vent systems, the communications officer reached out for Orion, looking again at the SIC to explain. Dreadwing was not a fan of revealing all their secrets so quickly, even if Megatron had vouched for Orion's trustworthiness, the grounder had turned on them before.

"Soundwave would like to speak with you." Having done what Soundwave had requested him to, Dreadwing turned and walked away. He did not see why the information could not wait until his father had returned to the _Nemesis_, but if the two wanted to play detectives then so be it.

Orion stood frozen as Soundwave extended a finger from each servo to his helm. _From what little I have obtained on the seeker, his alt mode is modified from several different human fighter planes, at this time his identity is unknown_. _I concur that Raf's father was taken only to gain our attention, at this point Shockwave believes himself invincible and will taunt us with the knowledge that he can hurt the loved ones under our protection without us able to stop him. It is quite possible that Shockwave will reveal false clues of his plan, each time making us believe we are getting closer only to realize we have been tricked in the end_.

"How do you know Shockwave so well?" Orion asked, fighting the suspicion that threatened to mount in his processor.

_I was not always like this, Orion Pax, Prime of the Cybertronians_, Soundwave answered. _Once I was like you, but Shockwave took that all away from me. For several years I was his slave, debased and degraded at his whim. I know him better than anyone. Shockwave may have fooled himself into believing that he is an emotionless, completely ruled by logic mech, but that is not true. He does feel emotion, a dark pleasure in seeing others helpless; he craves to have others under his power_.

An alert caught Soundwave's attention and he broke away from Orion. The strange seeker had been spotted in the mountains of Germany. "You must send me there." Soundwave looked at Orion, "Whatever Shockwave is planning he needs the humans, if we can stop him from taking one _and_ take out his seeker it may slow down his plans."

Soundwave did not need any further encouragement. A portal opened on the bridge and Orion ran towards it, transforming into his alt mode before he entered the ground bridge. He did not hear the Cybertronian cursing that followed in his wake.

_Leave them alone for five minutes and they're trying to be heroes_! Dreadwing had been wholly unprepared at the sight of Orion leaving, but he was quick to snap into action, as he was not Megatron's second-in-command for nothing. "You five," he pointed at the Vehicons, "go after him!"

The Vehicons, two seekers and three grounders, quickly obeyed. They just made it through the ground bridge before it closed. Dreadwing turned on Soundwave, "What are you doing? Megatron's orders were explicit!"

Soundwave turned and gave his attention to the view screen, his data cables and servos working quickly to multi-task his attention between Megatron's attack on MECH's base and Orion's impromptu mission. Dreadwing scowled and turned away, "If heads roll because of this I will not be losing mine!"

{Germany}

The lone hiker paused in his ascent, smiling at his peaceful surroundings. Hans Klauß had been hiking this particularly mountain since he was a child, as it had been his grandfather's favorite, so in memory of the old man Hans continued to hike it once a year. His trip had become a tradition for the town and was always mentioned in the newspaper, and had even earned a spot on a website.

Just as Hans reached the summit his quiet trip was interrupted. The roar of engines made him look up in surprise and when he saw the fighter plane descending on his location he did not hesitate. Hans turned and slid his way off the summit, seeking the cover of the trees. Looking back, the German hiker was completely unprepared for what he saw.

"Was ist das?" The fighter plane was gone, in its place stood a tall, metal robot with burning red eyes. The robot was looking at him, and even though it had the equivalent of a face there was no facial expression as it regarded him. With thundering footsteps the robot approached him, but Hans was not about to stick around and see what it wanted.

Going down a mountain was always harder than going up. Your body had to fight the inclination to go faster, as gravity tried to claim you. Thankfully for Hans, he knew the mountain like the back of his hand and so he knew where its' treacherous points were. All his knowledge would have worked in his favor had he been pursued by something less tall and durable.

The plane-that-was-a-robot used its sharp claws to slice the trees down while it pursued its quarry. Hans managed to duck the hand that tried to grab him when he lost his footing and fell, tumbling head over heels until he rammed into a tree. Winded and gasping for breath, Hans looked up at the robot that loomed overhead. Unable to move, Hans could do nothing but watch a robotic hand descend to grab him.

The blue bolt that slammed into the robot was as much a surprise to it as it was to Hans. Both turned to see another, even taller robot coming through the trees. Hans was sure that now would be a good time to faint in a manly style, in fact he did just that when five more appeared behind the very tall robot.

Orion watched the seeker stumble back from his attack and hurried forward to press the advantage. "Get the human out of here," he ordered, letting the Vehicons decide which one would carry out the order. This proved to be a mistake, as the Vehicons argued amongst themselves for a full ten minutes on who was going to pick up the human and why they should obey Orion's order anyway.

Meanwhile, Orion had reached the seeker and blocked him from seeing the human. The seeker, now having his equilibrium back, straightened to face Orion. Recognition flooded Orion's processor, a name coming to him from Optimus' memories.

"Starscream?" From what he knew of the seeker he never would have thought to see him working for Shockwave.

Starscream leapt forward, slashing at Orion with longer and sharper claws than he remembered the seeker having. Orion employed his combat systems to respond to Starscream's attack, something he had not done since the battle at the Grand Canyon. He was a little slow at first, taking quite a few hits while he familiarized himself with systems he had never used.

It was the screech of metal that snapped the Vehicons' out of their argument. Orion punched Starscream repeatedly until the seeker retreated, and then he looked down to inspect the gauge marks through his plating. Orion had just enough time to thank Primus that no energon was leaking when Starscream renewed his attack. The seeker was faster, too, then he remembered, and they traded a few blows back and forth.

It was the silence that alerted Orion to something being wrong. The forest around them exploded into fire from the lasers and missiles being shot about, two combatants hurled punches at each other that dented their armor and knocked them about, but through it all Starscream did not say a word. That was wrong. From Orion's files on the seeker, Starscream was never quiet, even during a battle he was always talking.

"Starscream!" Orion grabbed for the seeker, catching a wing but was shocked when it elicited no response. A seeker's wings were the most sensitive part of their frame, any kind of grip could cause pain and most grounders used this tidbit to bring a seeker to his knees, yet Starscream made no sound.

Twisting around Orion, never even flinching as his wing was slightly crushed, Starscream tore himself out of Prime's grip. Kicking out at the Autobot leader, the seeker dove for the unconscious human and nearly had him before one of the Vehicons stepped in. A harsh slam into Starscream's helm caused the seeker to fall to the earth, but he quickly rolled away to escape the laser fire from the other Vehicons.

Orion ran forward just as Starscream and grabbed him, giving his frame a good shake while he noticed one Vehicon finally picked up the human. "Starscream, why are you working for Shockwave? What is he planning?"

If Orion expected Starscream to answer he was doomed for disappointment. The seeker, seemingly not sparing a thought to personal injury, clawed and tore his way out of Orion's hold. Back flipping away from Prime and the Vehicons, Starscream raised an arm and fired a missile just as a ground bridge opened up behind him.

The one Autobot and five Decepticons jumped out of the way of the missile and it exploded behind them. The forest fire the battle had started was now raging all around them, but Orion only had optics for the closing ground bridge, wondering at Starscream's silence and his uncharacteristic disregard of his injuries. The stirring of the human clutched in a grounder Vehicon's grip brought Orion out of his thoughts.

"Soundwave," said Orion, activating his com, "is there a way to put this fire out before it consumes the mountain?"

The communications officer's answer was multiple portals opening above the mountain. Heavy rain gushed out of the ground bridges and continued to assault the fire until all the flames had been put out. Another ground bridge opened up near Orion, and he and the Vehicons quickly walked into it.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Orion allowed Soundwave to link with his processor again, knowing it was a far better way to communicate than through sounds and pictures. He had been wrong, and Orion was strong enough to admit that rushing off without a plan was not the smartest thing to do. He knew that he had not completely accepted Optimus as a part of himself, he still felt younger than he should, inexperienced and yes, he had wanted to prove, as much to himself as to others, that he could fight.

No doubt Megatron would be unbearably smug about being right. His friend had never failed to point out when Orion had committed a classic blunder in judgment; it just proved that a learned education fell flat when held up next to a hands-on experience.

_Starscream is never quiet_, Soundwave said, cutting though Orion's self-doubts. _And he was quite smitten with his looks, he would never modify his frame and lose his 'stunning' image simply for the sake of being heavier armored and armed. Your thoughts_?

_Shockwave has downloaded the slave code into him_, Orion thought back. _Since Shockwave is a grounder he is using Starscream for tasks that must be carried out quickly, such as snatching humans and making a quick escape through a ground bridge. _

_ I am always on alert for ground bridge activity_, Soundwave replied, no matter what else I am doing I always keep an alert out for portals. _Since I have not found any sign of ground bridge activity save for our own, Shockwave must have the means to not only shield his ground bridge device, but also cloaked the signature as well. When I was liberated from Shockwave he had only been working on a cloaking device for a few years, it was no where near perfect though he went ahead and downloaded it into one of his slaves to serve as a guinea pig. Obviously he has perfected it since then and applied it to more than just to be used by mechs_.

_Megatron is here_. Soundwave did not ask how Orion knew without turning his head, instead he deactivated his link-up and looked at his leader. Megatron's frame sported quite a few dents and scrapes, almost as many as Orion's did, and Soundwave realized that maybe he should have suggested the medical bay to Orion before they both got caught up with their theorizing.

"Silas ground bridged out of the base with most of the MECH forces before I could reach him," Megatron said without preamble.

_Well_, thought Soundwave, _this day certainly saw nothing get done._

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge – Present Time}

Megatron was impressed, doubly so. Orion had proved to be as much of an asset and a liability in less than five hours, now that had to be a record. Then there was Starscream; this one was a harder pill for the Decepticon leader to swallow, all joking aside. Banishment just was not the punishment it used to be, it seemed. Would it have been better to lock up his former SIC and throw away the key than have him fall into Shockwave's clutches?

That gnawing sense of failure threatened Megatron's processor once again. Instead of the little scout being the only victim, now there was a Decepticon as well. He had moved too slow, focused on the wrong enemy, yet what could he have done differently? Nothing, and that was what bothered Megatron.

Just what kind of leader was he that he could not protect the ones under him? Starscream may not have been officially considered a member of the Nemesis crew any more, but Megatron had had Soundwave keeping tabs on the backstabbing seeker for the purpose on letting Starscream stew a little bit before offering him a place once again. That was what mainly fueled Starscream anyway, wanting a place where he could be accepted. It was only those times when the seeker thought he should be clever and backstab a few mechs to prove his resourcefulness that he ran into problems with Megatron.

"No more, Soundwave, I will not let another fall into Shockwave's grasp."

His communications officer waited until Megatron had collected himself before showing him his second bit of news. On the view screen appeared the tracking monitor for a ship, at least a day away from Earth and the two signatures of the two mechs who were on board. Megatron groaned when he saw who it was.

"Just what we need at this moment, a revenge-seeking wrecker and a greenhorn adolescent, perfect." Megatron turned, intent of finding Orion and asking his opinion on how to handle the situation before he paused. "Soundwave, I realize why you allowed Orion to leave, but, as you clearly saw, there is a reason he was not cleared for combat."

**AN: So, what kind of a reception do you think Wheeljack and Smokescreen will get? Sorry for the lateness of this chapter and if it's not up to par with my other ones, had a family emergency earlier this week that was just very stressful and made a lot of us lose sleep. **

**Decepticons: 19 **

**Autobots: 9**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: Only 4 reviews last chapter, am I losing people? Also, I did not forget about Bumblebee, he just needed time to recover from his wound and think about how he was going to talk to Sideswipe.**

**Thunderweb: Don't worry, coming up.**

**QuantumSheep: Wheeljack and Smokescreen were never going to be really big characters, but I need Smokescreen for a reason so I had to bring them back. **

**Chapter Summary: A Gift Given, a Family Reconciled, and a Punishment Received. **

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

Bumblebee had had more than enough time to heal from his injury, yet he had still not left the med bay. Knockout had not kicked him out, and Ratchet, in deference to Knockout's authority as CMO on the ship, did not say anything about Bumblebee's reluctance to leave either. The scout was more than grateful for the medics allowing him to stay, and that they spent their time cleaning the already spic and span area and tools instead of trying to draw him into conversation.

Bumblebee had a lot to work through his processor and he needed to be undisturbed to do it. Thankfully, Raf understood what he needed and was content to just stay in his servo, being a soundboard once Bumblebee was ready to voice his thoughts. So there Bumblebee sat, thoughts whirling about in his processor, the chief among them being about Megatron.

He was aware that Megatron was leading the Decepticons against MECH at the moment but his feelings were divided over this. On one hand he wanted to be with the Decepticons, getting some of his own back that MECH had taken away from him, but on the other hand he wanted to be as far away from the rogue outfit as possible. Just the thought of seeing Silas again sent shivers down his frame, as much as he wanted to make the human pay Bumblebee knew that if he went through the rest of his life not seeing Silas he would be one happy mech.

[**When did I become such a coward**?] Raf looked up at him, one eyebrow raised in query at his remark. [**I'm afraid to face him, Raf. I want to make Silas pay for what he did, but I'm afraid that if I went anywhere near him he would capture me again. Raf, my processor would crash if the slave code were put into me again**.]

The two were sitting on a medical berth near the back of the medical bay, to keep their conversation mostly private. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that, Bee. Megatron is probably tearing apart the base right now, Silas won't stand a chance."

Bumblebee shook his head, [**No, Raf, it won't be that easy**.] He shuddered, [**Silas is evil, he's like an infestation, he won't be easily gotten rid of. He'll have a back-up plan, he'll escape, I'm sure of it**.]

Raf turned away, his thoughts turning to his conversations with his parents, looking for some kind of advice that would help Bumblebee. "Bee, can I tell you something?"

Bumblebee looked down, his optics blinking, [**Of course, Raf, you always can**.]

"Well, this is something I've wanted to tell you for awhile now, but I was afraid."

[**Afraid? Why**?]

"Because you're so cool, and big, and strong. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you would think I was weak, and wouldn't want to be my guardian anymore."

Bumblebee lifted Raf closer to his face, [**I would never think that, Raf, I swear. Please tell me what's bothering you.]**

Raf fiddled with his yell t-shirt, "I'm being bullied at school."

[**What**?]

"There's this kid, well actually a few of them, I won't mention names, but they've been picking on me for awhile now."

[**Why? You've got to be the coolest kid at that school**!]

Raf smiled, "Thanks Bee, but not everyone thinks like you do. To the kids that bully me, I'm a computer nerd and an illegal immigrant."

[**But you're a citizen, your whole family is**.]

"I've tried to tell them that, Bee. I've tried to tell them that my grandparents came over from Spain and that we've never even been to Mexico, but they won't listen. Most of it is just teasing or messing with my locker and books, but there's one kid who has been really mean. He doesn't dare pick on my older brothers or sisters because they're all taller or really into sports. Two months ago he dunked my head in the toilet," Raf shuddered. "It was the worst and most disgusting thing that he's done to me. After it happened I wanted to just go home and never go back, I know he filmed it and threatened to distribute it all over school if I tried to report him."

[**What did you do**? **Was this the day you were really down and just wanted to go home without stopping by the base first**?]

"Yeah, that was what happened. I was so ashamed I couldn't talk to you, Bee. When I got home I tried to just go to my room but my mom has a radar for stuff like this. When I told my parents what happened my mom was all for pulling me out and homeschooling me, next to taking her wooden spoon and tracking that kid for 'a much needed spanking'. My dad didn't want to pull me out as he said 'there's a time to run and a time to stand'. He's been teaching me self-defense so that the next the kid grabs me I can give him a 'good punch in the nose', I kinda agree with my dad when he said that detention would be worth giving that bully a taste of his own medicine." Raf sighed, "I guess what I'm trying to say, Bee, is that Silas is just a bully and he'll keep picking on you until you stand up to him. Even if you never face him again you'll still be haunted by what he did to you. I still have nightmares about being pushed in that toilet, only in my dreams he never let's me up for air. Things will be different this time around, Bee, you won't be alone with Silas, Megatron would certainly never let that happen."

[**What do you mean**?]

"Are you kidding, Bee?" Raf smiled. "Megatron has gone all 'protective dad' on you, it's kinda hard to miss."

Bumblebee did not deny it, he was just glad that someone else was voicing what he had been thinking. The way Megatron had used him to support his tottering frame, how quickly Bumblebee had pushed the Decepticon out of the way when he thought Sideswipe was attacking him, there was definitely a bond forming between them. [**What should I do**?]

The two friends continued to talk quietly while life bustled about around them. They were still there when the casualties started coming in and Bumblebee got conscripted to lend a servo in treating the wounded while Knockout disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned he was all business, walking up and down among those who were injured and firing off orders.

"Don't even think about getting out of that berth until I clear you. Who did this patch job? How did you get dented like that? That line doesn't go there!" And on it went. Ratchet was servo deep in surgery so he tuned out Knockout's hovering and fussing, the Vehicons took to the Decepticon's fretting like a duck to water, Bumblebee almost expected them to start purring any second.

When Optimus Prime, (_Orion_! Bumblebee mentally snapped at himself), quietly entered the medical bay the scout knew something was up. The Autobot leader looked doubly relived that Ratchet was busy and so asked for Knockout's assistance, something the Decepticon medic was only too happy to give. Bumblebee tried to be subtle in noting Prime's injuries, but the gauge marks made him almost choke on his air intake. People may think that claw marks were indistinctive from one to the other but that was not the case, and Bumblebee had seen that particular pattern too many times not to recognize it on sight by now. But where had his former leader run into Starscream?

By the time Megatron showed up, Bumblebee was sure he was ready for anything. However, he was wrong. After the Decepticon leader spoke to Orion, more like chided over him gloatingly, he consulted with Knockout before approaching Bumblebee.

Raf smiled knowingly at Bumblebee before scampering off to go pester the Vehicons. It had become his new hobby, asking the drones questions and watching them scramble to understand and form an answer. Bumblebee had a suspicion that Raf was collecting quite a few ideas from his interaction with the Vehicons and would not be surprised to see the boy talking to Soundwave later.

Bumblebee nearly laughed as Megatron practically tiptoed around Raf so that his heavier footsteps would not unsettle the human. It was definitely a scene the scout had never thought he would see, but then so many of those had happened over the course of the week that really he should not be surprised any more.

"Little scout," Megatron said, his red optics looking down at Bumblebee with a softness that the smaller mech did not notice, as he was too busy wondering why the Decepticon looked like he was anxious about something. Megatron anxious? The universe was spinning again for sure. "If you are amenable I would like to fix a wrong between us."

Bumblebee accepted the pad Megatron handed him and almost dropped it after he had read its contents. Now the universe had somersaulted, maybe he had even crossed into an alternate dimension because there was certainly no coding to be blamed for this.

[**Are you sure**?] Bumblebee asked, too shocked to think that maybe questioning a mech as powerful as Megatron was, was probably not a good idea.

Luckily Megatron did not take offense at his word being doubted. "I have consulted Knockout on the subject and he has confirmed that the operation can be done, even at this moment if you wish. The parts are available and Knockout has no doubts that they will be compatible to your model." Megatron hesitated before asking, "Do you wish to have the operation?"

_What kind of question is that_? Bumblebee thought, and then he looked up at Megatron. [**Why would you offer me this**?]

Megatron briefly looked away before focusing on Bumblebee's blue optics. "I wanted to offer it as an apology for robbing you of your voice. There were many things I did during the war that did not justify the means, my temper, so easily lost, did not help matters and neither did Orion's spurious betrayal. I cannot erase my crimes, but I can make amends for them, beginning with you. However, I am not only offering this as means of reparation between you and I, but because I want to genuinely help you heal, not simply because it is the right thing to do. You, little scout, have been the tip of the sword, your capture, while a traumatizing experience for you, has worked what neither side was able to do since our war began." Megatron leaned forward, aware that Bumblebee was hanging on his every word. "Peace. The war is over, little scout, all that remains is reaching out to those Autobots and Decepticons who are scattered about the universe, but that will have to wait until we stop MECH and Shockwave. The important thing is, is that peace looms on the horizon and I want you to remember that. Don't view yourself as weak for getting captured by MECH, do not be ashamed of what was done to you, because let me tell you, little scout, that a lesser mech would not have survived the tribulation you went through and you are stronger for coming through it with your processor intact." Megatron fell silent, allowing his words to sink into Bumblebee before asking his question again, "Do you wish to go through with the operation?"

Bumblebee was sure that he was not a hundred percent done with his nightmares after Megatron's speech, but he was on his way to recovery, he was sure of it. [**Yes**.]

Knockout was beyond ecstatic to do the operation, and not purely to restore Bumblebee's voice. The prestige of successfully doing such a surgical procedure that had never been attempted before and certainly would never have been sanctioned by the council was too enticing to pass up. Ratchet, for his part, very gruffly offered his assistance, which Knockout and Bumblebee accepted.

The procedure took two hours, and it was the longest two-hour waiting Megatron had ever endured. He spent the time planning with Orion on which was best way to receive Wheeljack and Smokescreen: Autobot reception or Decepticon ambush? Sadly it did not take long for the two friends to reach an agreement on how to handle the situation and Megatron was left with nothing to occupy his processor.

_I will not pace the floor. I will not pace the floor_, Megatron argued with himself. _It is undignified for a Cybertronian of my standing and rank to be seen pacing the floor like an impatient, antsy rookie_!

Megatron did not pace, a fact he was proud of. Instead he turned his processor to Starscream, and thinking of how they could possibly rescue the seeker with so little to go on. At least with MECH there had been a pattern to work off of, with a ground bridge Shockwave could be operating from anywhere and strike any continent at any time.

"Excuse me, sir?" Megatron looked down and frowned when he saw Bumblebee's ward near him.

"Yes?" he tried not to growl out the question but he was sure his stance did not invite conversation.

"Where is Bumblebee?" The human was going to seriously strain his neck if he continued looking up at that angle. Against his better judgment, Megatron crouched and lowered his servo to the floor. The human, Raf, regarded the hand for a moment before pulling himself onto it. Megatron waited until the boy was settled in his palm before straightening up.

"Your guardian is currently in the surgery room—"

"Why? What happened? Is he okay?" Raf ducked his head at Megatron's glare, "Sorry."

"I will overlook your bad manners this once as I know you are only concerned about his welfare, however I usually do not take kindly to being interrupted, understood?"

"Yes, sir." Megatron was glad that the boy looked properly chastened.

"Very good. Now, I can answer all of your questions—" But once again Megatron was interrupted, this time by the medical bay door opening.

Both Raf and Megatron stared at the mech who stepped out. His paint job was black with yellow stripes and the sigil of a bumblebee adorned his shoulder plates. Knockout and Ratchet were behind him, both grinning triumphantly.

"Bee?" Raf asked.

"Hey Raf," Bumblebee said. "Want to go see the Twins?"

{_Nemesis_ – Autobot Storage Room}

"This is ridiculous!" Arcee said, getting up and startling the others. "I refuse to just sit around and mope while the Decepticons—"

The doors opened and everyone turned to see who was visiting. The Twins suddenly became nervous when they recognized Bumblebee, new paintjob not withstanding, with Raf perched on his shoulder. The other Autobots looked uncertainly between them before taking hesitant steps toward the door, prompted by Ratchet's beckoning servo, although Blurr had to be pulled along.

Sideswipe stepped forward, "Bumblebee, I am so—"

"Stop," Bumblebee said, shocking the Twins. "It wasn't your fault."

"You can talk?" Sideswipe asked, only get thumped on the head by Sunstreaker.

"He could always talk, you dimwit!"

"I know that, what I meant was—"

Bumblebee laughed, silencing the Twins, and stepped forward so he could rest a servo on their shoulders. "I missed you guys so much. I can't thank you enough for looking after Raf, and welcoming him into our family. Sure, it was scary getting shot, Sides, but I know it wasn't you who did it. Believe me, if anyone can understand what it's like to be made to do something you don't want to do, it's me. Be lucky that all you had to do was shoot me, no one I attacked it still standing."

"Hey!" Sunstreaker said. "Belay that. If Sides can't feel guilty about shooting you, then you can't feel guilty about what MECH made you do, deal?"

Bumblebee smiled, "Deal."

The brothers sat down to share energon and catch up with one another. Bumblebee plied the Twins for the adventures they must have had while traveling the stars, while Sunny and Sides were interested in Bee's newly required voice and all that had happened to him since coming on board the _Nemsis_. For his part, Raf sat in Bumblebee's hand and smiled, feeling safe with the three mechs guarding him. Hopefully, now that things were getting resolved all over the place, he would be able to go home to his own family soon.

{Shockwave's Lair}

Huddled in a corner of his cell, Starscream wished that Optimus Prime had snuffed his spark out. The human slaves, under Shockwave's direction, had crawled all over the seeker and fixed his energon lines, burning their flesh without so much as a scream as they did so. With Starscream no longer losing energon, Shockwave had ordered him to his cell to wait for punishment, no other treatment had been offered and the seeker's wings were a torn mess of metal.

When the cell door opened, Starscream looked up only to shrink back when he saw Shockwave and another mech. The other mech had yellow optics and was roughly the size of Megatron but bulkier like a grounder. Starscream was sure he had never seen him before, and that fact scared him for he did not know what to expect from the unknown mech.

"Starscream," Shockwave said, "you will obey his every command to you for the duration of two hours. You are also permitted to scream as loud as you wish."

The seeker trembled as the unknown mech stepped into his cell, leering down at him. "Get up, little toy." Starscream obeyed, his legs barely able to support his shaking frame. The seeker whimpered as a wing was tugged, the pain doubling from what it had been before. "Shockwave was right," a chuckle burned Starscream's audios, "these wings are highly sensitive." Now the fingers ran up his wing, as if trying to comfort except that the malicious smile on the other mech belied the gesture. Fingers lightly curved around his helm, making him look up at his tormentor. "We're going to have a fun time, you and I, aren't we?"

Before Starscream could respond a wing was savagely twisted, making the seeker scream and collapse. "Look what I've done," the mech chortled. "With one move I have brought the mighty Starscream to his knees before me. Shall we make some more music, you and I?"

The cells were not soundproofed and so Starscream's howls of pain echoed down the cellblock. Physically the humans, in their own cells, were not disturbed by the shrieks but mentally was a different story. Shockwave might have had control of their bodies, but he had found the brain too chaotic to mess with and so, like Bumblebee, they could see and hear everything around them.

Roberto Esquivel heard the screams and shuddered within his mind. He turned his thoughts to his family and did the only thing he could so, he prayed. Imploring that his family be kept safe, that his youngest son was not one of the many humans he had seen in this place, although he had taken comfort from the fact that they had all seemed to be adults.

**AN: Wow, this is the longest chapter I've written so far, 7 pages and look at how much I covered. You guys happy?**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	36. Chapter 36

**64: Sorry for the wait, but hey you reviewed twice, cool! Hope you're happy with this chapter.**

**Breshcandra: Welcome and thanks for the review!**

**Purest of Hearts: That might work, but you do realize that somebody ahs got to die in this fic, right? Not just the bad guys.**

**Miss Anonymous: Welcome and thanks for the review. You're spot on, just read and see.**

**MissCHSparkles: I know I won't get the same number of reviews each chapter, though after getting 20 for one chapter that would be nice, I just hadn't gotten 4 lonely reviews in awhile. Guess I got spoiled with how quickly people reviewed. The mech torturing Starscream is not in TFP.**

**FallenNietehre: He's torturing Starscream, why? Because that's what he loves doing. As for who he is, just wait and you'll see.**

**Stitchar: There you are, ol' buddy! More Autobot/Decepticon interaction? Okay, coming right up.**

**DEVINE.L: Lol.**

**QuantumSheep: So I saw you reviewed and was like, "Uh-oh, what's it gonna be now?" But I was happily shocked, such a positive review! From you! No nitpicking whatsoever! I was like, "YES! I did it!" Now I just have to keep up the good work, right?**

**Autumnfloweres: Thank you!**

**Thunderweb: That is the question, isn't it?"**

**Answerthecall: Thanks.**

**Starfire201: You forgot? How could you? Perhaps I should send Dreadwing your way to remind you, ja? And don't worry, their ending will be painful.**

{Autobot Base}

Orion and Ratchet watched Wheeljack's descending ship with mixed emotions. Orion was confidant that the plan would be pulled off smoothly, and that they would not have to rely on Dreadwing's squadron to contain the newly arriving Autobots. Ratchet was less certain, simply because he knew that Wheeljack's suspicious nature would be harder to cajole than Smokescreen's more trusting manner. Yet, he, too, hoped that Dreadwing's waiting squadron would not be needed, for surely when Wheeljack saw his nemesis he would become quite volatile.

"Open the base doors," Orion ordered and Ratchet obeyed. Originally, Bulkhead was going to be present but he had backed out, not pleased with deceiving his friend and also knowing that Wheeljack would see through the plan right away if the big green mech were there. Bulkhead could not lie to save his life, Wheeljack knew his friend too well not to be able to pick up the telltale signs of when Bulkhead was nervous. Blurr was also absent, since he had the unfortunate ability to blurt out secrets to just about anybody, making him the last person to be informed about anything.

However, the base could not be deserted, that would make Wheeljack even more suspicious. Arcee was standing off to the side with Jack, having a much-needed conversation about college. Jack was determined to get out of Nevada, but Arcee wanted him to stick stateside so as to make her job easier. Nothing doing, of course. Arcee was not a hundred percent sold on the plan either, but she was too grateful for the chance to get off the _Nemesis_ that she wisely kept her opinions to herself, for once. The Twins were blowing things apart in the training room, happily providing some noise to the otherwise silent base.

Wheeljack and Smokescreen entered the base, looking much as they had before they had left five months ago. Arcee greeted them before turning her attention back to Jack, asking him to think about the energon usage for the groundbridge, which would be less if Jack stayed in Nevada. "Where's Bulkhead?" Wheeljack asked, not surprising anyone that that was his first inquiry.

"Bulkhead and Bumblebee are out with their charges," Orion said, being somewhat truthful as the two 'bots were with Miko and Raf. "How did your trip go?"

"It was amazing, Optimus," Smokescreen said, not noticing Orion's slight twitch at the name. "We catalogued new planets that even the Archives hadn't mentioned, I'm sure of it!"

"That's nice, Smokescreen," Ratchet said, finding it harder to stay in profile than he thought. "You can fill us in on the details later, right now I need to see each of you in the medical bay. You've gone five months without checkups, not to mention who knows what landing on foreign planets has done to your systems."

"Take it easy, doc," Wheeljack said, throwing off Ratchet's servo. "What's the rush?"

Ratchet huffed with genuine irritation. "Are you being deliberately imprudent? I will not have you walking around the base, contaminating everything you touch with no who knows what kind of alien bacteria. Medical bay now!"

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

_He was no longer what he had once been. It had all been stripped away, torn and shredded from his frame and processor like unwanted rust or corrupted data. No more will he race with his fellow grounders, for his wheels were ripped off and replaced with wings. He is a seeker now, a skinny framed 'bot of the sky and a slave. A monster. That is what he has been turned into, a freakish experiment of science. _

_ He wants to scream, to run and hide in a dark corner of the planet where no one will ever find him. Yet he can do none of these things. His voice is gone, his mouth welded shut and his vocal chords replaced with reinforcing neck structures to make his helm harder to rip off. His limbs are chained to the wall, the links clinking together as he shifted on his peds._

_ He flinched when fingers trailed up a wing and caressed his blank visor with hard strokes. "Perfection," a voice from a faceless helm purred in his audios. Around him are other mechs chained to the walls but they hang listless, their sparks having either extinguished due to the trauma or blasted apart by the scientist himself when their processors broke under the strain of having their frames mutilated into unnatural shapes. Death fills the air, it is cycled through his vent system as he shakes under the scientist's touch. He is unprepared for the band of cold metal that snaps around his neck, and he tries to jerk away as it is locked into place. "I am Shockwave, and you are my weapon of peace. You will help me end this war, you will break those who resist me, you, my Soundwave, will—" _

"Hey you!" Soundwave pulled himself out of the memory file and turned, looking down in the direction of the approaching, tiny footsteps. "Yes you, Mr. I'm-Gonna-Intimidate-You-With-My-Silence!" It was the youngest femme, he could hear her guardian's lumbering footsteps before the door closed but the grounder would most likely be on the bridge within a few seconds. She had given Bulkhead the slip or had ditched him when her guardian had not approved of her plan, Soundwave would have to check the security tapes to see which it was.

The Vehicons stared at the tiny human as she ran toward the communications officer. Soundwave could detect no fear in her; she was perfectly at ease in a room filled with Decepticons though somewhat hyper. She skidded to a stop before him, looking up at him expectedly and he found himself wanting to make sure that he did not disappoint her.

"Miko!" Her guardian had entered the bridge, looking uneasy at the Vehicons and Soundwave before walking towards the girl at the TIC's peds. "I don't think you—"

Soundwave lifted a servo, making Bulkhead stop midsentence. The communications officer crouched down and offered his servo, palm up, to Miko. The black, pink highlighted haired teen looked up at him, showing no signs of shyness but grinning at him with, what the humans called, a '100 watt smile'. She jumped onto his servo, her bio readings going up but with excitement rather than alarm.

"Miko…assist?" Soundwave played two different voice recordings to the girl.

"Ya sure can, Soundy!" Miko said, making Bulkhead groan. "I know ya're like the king of all things technological around here, eyes and ears glued to every TV, camera, gizmo and whatchamacallit. So, do ya think ya could let us watch what's happening down below? Maybe even inside the Autobot base itself?"

"Miko," Bulkhead said, "you can't expect—"

"Look! I get it why Jack got in on the action, once again, but that doesn't mean I'm not entitled to watching what's going on, right?"

Soundwave tilted his helm at her, mentally smiling at her spunkiness but knowing that if he had been his guardian he would not have put up with such disrespect. Bulkhead looked defeated, caving into her need for attention most likely not for the first or last time. The communications officer did no mind the interruption, he did not mind the request, but an uncertified individual should not run onto the bridge especially during an ongoing mission. Yet it was not his place to discipline her.

He moved one of his data cables to a nearby workstation and tapped a few buttons. The screens came to life, showing the inside of the Autobot base for all on the bridge to see. "Suh-weet!" Miko said, plopping herself down on Soundwave's palm to watch the screen. She looked back up at him, cracking a smile that somehow managed to look innocent and mischievous at the same time, "Ya don't mind, do ya?"

In answer, Soundwave moved his servo to the workstation and tilted his palm. Miko squeaked with indignity as she slid off of the hand and onto the flat metal beneath her. "Ya're no fun!"

Soundwave did the equivalent of a shrug and walked to another station to work. "I'm sorry about that," Bulkhead said, once Miko was fully absorbed in watching the interchange between Wheeljack and Ratchet. "Miko always acts first and thinks after."

Soundwave remembered seeing the three wards in the thick of things, especially that first time when he had encountered them. Scaring them had not worked, especially the young femme. She was fearless, or perhaps she was an addict for dangerous situations? Never happy unless she had gotten her quota for an adrenaline rush for the day. He could think of several human discipline tactics that would, most likely, cure her of her impulse to fling herself into danger, but, once again, he was not her guardian.

"Hey look!" Miko shouted. "They're going into Ratchet's torture chamber!"  
The Vehicons made sounds of distress, as they whirled from their positions to look at the screen. Soundwave sent out a comforting wavelength to soothe the drones, knowing that traumatized Vehicons were not something he had time to deal with today. "Miko!" Bulkhead tried to admonish, but his voice came out more like a half-plea instead, as if asking why she had to be as she was.

Soundwave did not approve of the dismissive wave Miko gave her guardian, as if saying, 'Oh, what's the big deal?' Yet he did nothing, because she was not his. To distract himself, Soundwave returned to his searching for MECH's new base and the location of Shockwave.

{Autobot Base – Medical Bay}

Ratchet blew air out of his vents in relief when both Wheeljack and Smokescreen were rendered inert due to forced stasis-lock. Knockout came out of hiding once the Autobot medic gave him the all clear. With two medics working on the coding this whole ordeal would be over in mere minutes.

Hooking up the medical cables to the ports, Ratchet and Knockout got to work. Knockout was not surprised by the amount of coding he found in Smokescreen, as a novice of the Elite Guard the council would have ensured his loyalty and commitment to the Autobot cause. Deleting the unwanted command codes was not easy, which made Knockout glad that he had hacker skills as well as medical knowledge. The codes that he could not outright delete, Knockout first had to break into before then trying to erase them from Smokescreen's systems. A growl of frustration from Ratchet made the Decepticon smile, apparently he was not the only one having problems.

There, another code gone, Knockout moved onto the next code with a sigh. Knockout would be the last to admit it, but he rather liked it when he was not fighting for the life of his patient and could take his time with the job instead of having to quickly seal off an energon leak or repair a vital system before it crashed. Not that what he was doing was not dangerous in its own right, overlooking one code inputted by the council could be detrimental to Smokescreen's health as well as hazardous to everyone else. So, Knockout carefully removed the codes one by one, the medical bay mostly silent save for the beeping from consoles and Ratchet's grumbling.

Knockout became mildly concerned when he finished two hours later and Ratchet was still hard at work. He would have thought that a Wrecker would have taken less time than an Elite Guard, but he was apparently wrong. After sending a diagnosis code to check the young Autobot for any alien substances, Knockout turned to look at Ratchet.

The Autobot medic was glaring at his screen, sifting through the layer of codes that were in Wheeljack very slowly. Too slowly, actually. Knockout understood the need for some people to be perfectionists, he was that way with his paintjob after all, but one could only double check one's work so much. If you thought you still might be missing something but could not find it then it might be best to call in a fresh pair of optics.

"Need help?" Knockout asked, earning a glare for his effort.

Ratchet looked thoroughly ticked off, and concerned. "I cannot find Protocol 371."

That statement was enough to make Knockout's spark run cold. "At all? Are you sure? Maybe it's merely hidden under another layer of code?"  
"Knockout," Ratchet growled in frustration, "it is not there. I found the usual codes of loyalty and honesty to the council, but there is no protocol 371 nor any forced aggressive coding or violence. His coding is largely untampered with."

Knockout said nothing, he was too numb to think let alone speak. His processor brought up the memory file from all those years ago, when he had first seen Wheeljack barge into the captured Decepticon medical clinic and murder all the critically wounded, Autobots and Decepticons alike. He shuddered, his optics shuttering for a brief moment before he looked back at Ratchet.

"What do you suppose that means?" Knockout's voice had dropped a few decibels; he did not trust himself at the moment to not do something rash.

Ratchet shook his head, "I don't know. It is possible they had a servo in writing his original coding but I would have thought there would be more evidence to account for the way he is."

"Recommendations?" Knockout asked, taking a step away from the unconscious Wrecker.

"Our options are not something you and I should decide on our own, we need to bring in Prime and Megatron for this."

"Agreed." Knockout turned away, bracing himself on Smokescreen's berth. He had been prepared to forgive Wheeljack for the atrocities the Wrecker had committed that day and every other time the medic had heard of. But if Wheeljack had been aware of his actions, knowingly executing the wounded right and left without batting an optic, than there would be no forgiveness. Right now he wanted nothing more than to arm his blaster and shoot the Wrecker's spark to pieces, but that would make him no better than Wheeljack.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

_On unsteady peds, the newly named Soundwave followed the bulkier mech down the hallway, dreading the ominous promise of being granted a trial run to test his new abilities. Once released from the chains he had tried to attack the fiend who destroyed his life, but his new weapons systems had refused to lock-on and his servos halted within inches of hitting the larger mech. _

_ "Did you think I would make such a perfect instrument to serve me and not ensure that it would not turn on me?" _

_ They entered a large room and Soundwave halted at seeing his team chained to the walls, much like he had been. The Autobots were alive, though sporting wounds that leaked energon. They did their best to look at the two newcomers without fear, but he could see it in their optics nonetheless. _

_ "These test subjects have outlived their usefulness," Shockwave said, no emotion whatsoever leeching into his words. "Dispose of them."_

No_! Soundwave turned to him, pleading silently with shakes of his helm not to do this. The chained Autobots thrashed against their manacles, yelling threats or cries of mercy against their approaching doom. _

_ Shockwave's red optic burned right through his visor and into his own begging red ones. "Kill them."_

"Hey, what're ya doing?"

Bulkhead could have told Soundwave that unless Wheeljack went berserk in ten seconds the screen would not hold Miko's attention, but he was not exactly ready to be chummy with the Decepticon just yet. Let the communications officer worry about how to entertain the girl, the ex-Wrecker would stay close to make sure Miko did not annoy any of the Decepticons too much but other than that Bulkhead would take a backseat to this. It might be entertaining.

Soundwave turned to see that Miko had turned from the view screen and was trying to gain a Vehicon's attention. The drone in question looked briefly down at the small human before returning to his task. However, this was not enough to thwart Miko's desire for some action.

The girl got up and made her way to where the Vehicon was working. She did not ask for help as she made her way across a connecting metal piece to the other workstation. The Vehicon stilled, his helm tilting to watch the small human and Soundwave could see the drone's fingers tremble slightly. The drones knew how to operate with straightforward instructions and were quite comfortable on the _Nemesis,_ and even working the energon mines or fighting Autobots. But the humans were so small, erratic and different, they made the Vehicons uneasy.

Miko grinned at her reflection in the Vehicon's visor, "What's your name?"

The Vehicon shifted on his peds, "Designation A105478."

"No, no, your name!" Miko protested. "Mine's Miko, I'm Japanese."

The Vehicon was no doubt scrambling with his limited processor range to form a reply. "No name."

"What? That's horrible. You can't go through life just being a number!" Miko thought for a second, "I'll call you Haru, that's my favorite uncle's name. Hmm, 'course I'll have to mark you somewhere so I can tell you apart from everyone else."

There were certain words you did not use around Vehicons, 'mark' was one of them. Drone A105478 latched onto that forbidden word and jumped back, bringing his blasters to bear on the tiny human in half a second. Bulkhead jumped forward, but was pushed aside by Soundwave, who grabbed Miko with a data cable while laying a servo on the Vehicon's powering up blaster.

Once the girl was safely hidden behind the communications officer, Soundwave tapped his fingers against the Vehicon's helm. He focused on soothing the drone, calming the agitated nerve circuits until the Vehicon powered down his blaster and bowed his helm. Certain that the crisis had been diverted, Soundwave kept the thankfully quiet human out of A105478's sight while he walked out of the bridge, Bulkhead in tow.

Soundwave brought his data cable to his servo and deposited the girl in his grasp, bringing her up close. This had moved beyond a guardian's role, she had caused turmoil on the bridge and with Megatron and Dreadwing absent that left Soundwave in charge. It was up to him to scold her for her actions, but he knew he would be more lenient than either of the ex-gladiators would have been.

"What happened back there? Was he afraid I'd hurt him? That's silly! He's so—"

_Young one, desist_, Soundwave said, earning him not only peace from the small human but also a very shocked expression.

"You can talk? In my head? How's that possible?"

_Human sparkling minds are very open, lacking firewalls to protect their brains from intrusion or suggestion. No matter, I shall take advantage of this fact to lay down some much needed ground rules for you, small one. You will leave the Vehicons alone, unless they approach you. They are drones, we freed them as much as we could from the council's hold but they simply lack the sufficient processor space to be of the same intellect as the rest of us. They were meant to process only orders and carry them out, not to think or answer questions. We have done what we could to upgrade their processors to allow more data but anything more than that would break down their frames. _

"Wait hold up, you lost me. Drones, council, processors. Is there going to be a quiz?"

Bulkhead stared at them, completely in the dark as to what was going on. Soundwave paid him no mind; instead his processor whirled on how to get through to this not-quite-ready-to-leave-sparklinghood human the importance of what he was saying. In the end he gave up and went with simple, more direct instructions.

_You will stay away from the Vehicons and stay off the bridge. Disobey these rules and you will be confined to your quarters with plenty of 'quizzes' to keep yourself occupied. Understood_?

"Sheesh, ok, I get it."

Satisfied, Soundwave deposited Miko in Bulkhead's servo and reentered the bridge.

{Autobot Base – Medical Bay}

"We do not have time to deal with this." Knockout whole heartily agreed with Megatron on that statement, but Orion looked less convinced.

"We cannot simply ignore this problem," Orion said. "The loyalty code was removed, he should be given the chance to explain himself before we condemn him."

"I vote against bringing him out of stasis-lock," Ratchet said. "Wheeljack is a very violent, and hardened mech. There is a lot of anger running though his processor, all of it pointing to the Decepticons and all of it originating from within himself, no outside influence. Once he comes to and notices the missing codes and that he was forced into stasis that anger will most likely transfer to us, Prime."

"The problem is not being ignored, Orion," Megatron said, making a point to say his friend's name in front of Ratchet. "We simply do no have the time to deal with this. I will agree that he deserves at least a trial where he can speak up his defense but there are bigger issues we have to face now."

"Then what do you suggest?" Orion asked, his stance not happy but Megatron knew his friend would back up his decision.

"The Wrecker will remain in stasis-lock, hooked up to life support and locked up in a secure room. Once MECH and Shockwave have been dealt with then we will bring Wheeljack out for his trial. That way we have the available time to deal properly with this situation, and not miss anything vital simply because some of were in a hurry to get it over with. Agreed?" When everyone nodded Megatron relaxed a little, "Knockout and I will secure the Wrecker, you two had better bring the novice online and see how he responds to the council's treachery, Dreadwing will be in the hallway if you need assistance."

**AN: I'm back! Sorry for the break but I just needed some time off, I really did. Updates should be more frequent now, that is if nothing crazy happens in my life these next few weeks. I should seriously start wrapping this story up soon. Also, I beat my record; this chapter is 7 and a quarter pages long!**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	37. Chapter 37

**Mrs. Ukitake: Welcome, and thanks for taking on the job as beta.**

**Wildpaw1: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**Stitchar: Thanks!**

**Purest of Hearts: Don't panic! **

**Starfire201: I didn't surprise you? Inconceivable!**

**64: I have the feeling that if you had an account you would be hounding me with messages that would say "Update! Update! Update!" Lol, if I don't update quickly there is a valid reason, mon ami, I swear. **

**QuantumSheep: That was my thinking about Wheeljack as well, especially how he's portrayed in the Prime TV show. Yes Miko is super annoying in the show and I could not understand why no one got really firm with her, even Bulkhead, as her guardian, should have been a lot more authoritative instead of helping her ditch detention and not keeping an optic on her after they find out her tendency to sneak off on missions. A lot of people have brought up the question: is Soundwave Blaster? I don't know Blaster, I just had Soundwave as an Autobot before Shockwave got him but didn't have any real idea of who he was.**

**Guest: Glad you liked the Megatron/Bumblebee interaction, there will definitely be more.**

**Phoenyx Starr: Welcome and thanks for the review! Who's your favorite bot?**

**Answerthecall: Thanks, and there's always a reason.**

**Thunderweb: It might be a little convenient but with MECH and Shockwave needing to be dealt with I did not need a rampaging Wheeljack running around. **

**Sora Matasuki: Thanks!**

Chapter Summary: Everyone needs Megatron and Shockwave seeks to checkmate.

{_Nemesis_}

Megatron wondered if it was not too late to return to his quarters for a recharge and pretend this day never happened. He knew that as a leader it was inevitable to go through a day without someone needing to run something by the Decepticon warlord for approval but this was ridiculous! The only times he had ever had to be contacted by the heads of the different departments was before they went into battle, which was what he thought had happened after being so rudely pinged out of recharge by five mechs who all needed to speak him immediately. Megatron figured that if what they had to say could not have waited an hour more to when he was scheduled to come out of recharge then all five mechs had better be in a matter of life or death situation, for their own sakes.

The Decepticon leader prioritized the messages, deciding to start with the first one he had received which also happened to be the closest to his quarters. Unfortunately it also dealt with his least favorite subject: their human guests. Megatron had really not thoroughly thought through his plan when he had ordered the human charges to be brought aboard, perhaps he should have had a safe house built somewhere for them instead.

Coming towards the room where the humans had been sequestered, Megatron saw a Vehicon pacing back and forth in a very agitated manner and looking over abundantly relieved at spotting the Decepticon leader's approach. The source of the Vehicon's agitation was undoubtedly the human femme who stood glaring at said drone with a very irritated expression, which, of course, was shifted to Megatron when she saw him. What was the elder female's name? June Darby, that was it, mother of Jack.

"Lord Megatron—" the Vehicon began, but was rudely interrupted by the small human.

"Megatron—" the woman began but then paused, her neck straining to look up at him and Megatron was gratified to see a little bit of fear enter her eyes. _Of course,_ he thought, _now she remembers that my race is something to be afraid of_. But the woman recovered for too quickly for Megatron's liking. "I know that removing us from our homes was necessary due to the threat of MECH and this Shockwave person but do you think you could give me details on how the situation is going? How long must we stay here? I was able to explain our absence by taking an extended holiday with the children but soon school will be starting and my leave will end. If we do not return to Jasper when we are scheduled to our families will be in trouble with the government for not having the children back in time for school and when we finally return it will make explaining this situation very hard. Plus there is the matter of the children. I have barely seen Raf, except for meals, and Jack has been recuited for missions without my permission. Miko is confined to quarters but does her best to sneak out and won't listen to me. These things cannot continue, sir."

Megatron drew in a calming breath of air, letting it cycle through his system before he drew in another, and then another. Once he no longer felt the urge to stomp on the human or walk away he returned his gaze to the woman. "Mrs. Darby," the only reason Megatron fought to keep himself calm was because he knew Orion and Bumblebee would be disappointed if he were not, "I think you fail to grasp the seriousness of this 'situation'. Your very lives are in danger if MECH or Shockwave get ahold of you. They will not simply kill you; you will be used against your guardians and tortured if their demands are not met. I care neither what your government will think nor how difficult explaining your return will be. The only reason you, Mrs. Darby, are here is because you are Jack's mother, who is a ward of the Autobot faction, which is temporarily receiving shelter in my ship from enemies we do not know the location of. My concerns are my crew, my ship, and those who have willingly joined me in this war. For we are at war, Mrs. Darby, make no mistake of thinking otherwise. If we do not stop Shockwave and MECH they will enslave your planet, your people, and destroy everything they do not want. I refuse to allow the children to be used against their guardians and thereby endanger our whole operation. I do not have time to deal with your petty complaints! You will trust that Raf's guardian will see to the boy's needs and comfort, you will speak with Arcee over your concerns with your son, and the Japanese girl will be left to Bulkhead's guardianship. If the children must still remain here by the time their next school year starts then you will simply have to teach them yourself. Until then, to keep yourself occupied, you will report to the medical bay every day and work an 8-hour shift under Knockout's or Ratchet's direction. Failure to comply with this order will earn my displeasure," he crouched slightly to look her straight in the eye, "and I assure you, human, that that is not something you want to earn."

The quick nod and wide eyes were enough to assure him that he had won that round and Megatron straightened up to look at the Vehicon, who was shifting slightly from one ped to another. "When Mrs. Darby is ready escort her to the medical bay."

"Yes, lord Megatron."  
The second ping had come from the rec room and was actually the source of the third and fourth pings as well, so Megatron quickly found an elevator. What could possibly have happened in the rec room? It was one of the most peaceful rooms on the whole ship! Of course that might have been jeopardized now that the Autobots were allowed to walk freely around the _Nemesis_, except Smokescreen who had to be in the company of at least Bulkhead or the Twins until he proved himself. Megatron took that precaution not only because the young mech had been a member of the Elite Guard but also because of the great difficulty Knockout had had in breaking the controlling codes. Since the medic had been unable to give a 100% clearance that Smokescreen would not feel any 'ghost' effects from the codes he had to be kept in the optic' range of someone at all times.

There were Vehicons filling the hallway outside the rec room, trying to see inside and this did nothing to allay Megatron's growing fears suspicions. They quickly moved out of his way once they saw him approaching and Megatron quickened his pace to get inside. Inside the rec room the Decepticon leader was surprised to find that the room was a mess. Spilled energon cubes, a broken table and Knockout was tending to a very injured Blurr, who looked like he had had his helm smashed in. Arcee and Bulkhead, along with their charges and Raf, were next to a wall, having no doubt done their best to keep the children safe during the fight. For a brief moment he wondered about Smokescreen's location and then remembered that Orion was going to be using the rookie as target practice while his friend reacquainted himself with his weapon systems.

Megatron looked around, expecting to see some beaten up Vehicons but the only Decepticon in the room was Knockout. To the Decepticon leader's surprise, the Twins were pinning Bumblebee to the wall, and the scout looked at Blurr's injured frame with sad optics.

"What is going on here?" The reactions to his question were varied save that all the mechs, and femmes, jumped in surprise. Bumblebee looked up at and then dropped his head, his blue optics conveying shame. Knockout looked as though he were making a valiant effort to keep his thoughts to himself and the Twins held a great deal of trepidation in their optics, a look he had never seen on them before and it was quite unsettling.

Many voiced tried at once to answer his question but Megatron raised a servo to silence them. "Knockout, take Blurr to the medical bay for attention, you should have done that already." The glare that the medic sent his way would have melted right through his armor if it had had the power to do so. "The rest of you clear out, except for you, little scout." Bumblebee hung his helm further while the others vacated the room and Megatron advanced on him, "Do I assume correctly that you are responsible for my rec room being in shambles?" When this question only earned him a nod and further dropping of a helm, Megatron cupped two digits under Bumblebee's chin and forced his head up. "You have a voice, little scout, I suggest that you use it."

Bumblebee took an intake of air before speaking, "We were just talking, telling stories and I was hanging out with Blurr. We…we were very close back on Cybertron, both war orphans you know? So I was really trying to get our friendship back, I just wanted my friend back." Megatron rested a servo on the smaller mech's trembling frame, "I'm—I'm not sure what happened. He had asked me about my alt mode, and we were comparing cars." Bumblebee's optics widened as he reviewed the memory file, "I hit him. I wanted to hit him! Hurt him! Make him pay!"

Megatron steadied Bumblebee with both servos now, "Why? What was said to make you lose control?"

"How did you—"

"I was not sparked yesterday, little scout, I know how to recognize the painful reaction to a traumatic memory file. He said something that triggered your memories of being in MECH's hands and you attacked him, no doubt thinking he was one of your torturers or wishing to silence the voice that was ringing in your audios. Now that you know that I know what you have gone through, will you answer my question?"  
Bumblebee could not ignore that gentle yet firm query. So like a father! How often had he seen Raf's father talk to his son like this? How often had he wished to remember a memory of his own parental units who had died back on Cybertron? "Stingray."

"What?"

"Blurr's alt mode is called a s-stingray. That's what Silas called me." Bumblebee looked at Megatron, anger swirling in his optics. "He ordered me to respond to that name and nothing else. He sought to strip my very identity away, everything that made me who I am, and replace it with what he called 'perfection'. Stingray. I have heard that name slither through my processor while I recharge, and only having Knockout's classical music on seems to keep these 'nightmares' at bay." Bumblebee looked away. "You wanted me to heal, but every time I feel like I've taken a step forward something happens to pull me back! Why do I feel like he still owns me? I'll never be—"

"Still that talk right now," Megatron ordered. "Silas does not own you, he never did!" Anger threatened to overtake him but it was not aimed at Bumblebee, rather at a small human who was proving to be a very big problem. "He will be ended. He will haunt you no more. I swear it. No one else will be harmed by him. Do you believe me?"

"Yes."

"_Lord Megatron, your presence is requested on the bridge_."

"Come, let us see what is happening above us."

Since there was no use protesting against Megatron, Bumblebee obediently fell in step with the Decepticon leader. They exited the rec room and Megatron ordered the lingering Vehicons to see to the mess inside. Nothing was said further until they were in the elevator.

"I have been meaning to ask why you took a bumblebee as your sigil and not the Autobot. I find it very curious," Megatron admitted, looking down at Bumblebee.

"I am not an Autobot," Bumblebee said. Megatron looked like he was about to argue and the scout cut him off. "I'm not. The Autobot faction is nothing but the fighting arm of the council, whose lies are still destroying Cyvertronian lives. Neither am I a Decepticon since you formed that faction to end the council and the ruling class of Cybertron and that has been done. Orion Prime is not a threat anymore he is your ally. I will not be in a faction, I will be myself, and the bumblebee is who I am." Bumblebee smiled, grateful that he could actually perform the function for once.

Megatron nodded, knowing that once this whole mess with MECH and Shcokwave was cleaned up that he would have to sit down with Orion and go over the particulars. He was loath to do so, however, because he did so despise politics.

Stepping onto the bridge Megatron was met with his bridge officers and Orion. He did not spare a thought as to where Smokescreen was because Soundwave flashed a very urgent sign at him. On the display was the sign of gate bridge activity, over one of the islands of Japan if he was not mistaken. "What is it Soundwave?"

It was Dreadwing who answered, "A gate bridge opened over Honshu, Japan. Satelite photos caught Starscream exiting and we believe Tokyo is his target."

"Then there is not time to waste." Megatron turned, "Soundwave ready a ground bridge, Orion you and these five seeker Vehicons are with me."

There were no arguments and Bumblebee watched them disappear through the ground bridge. He turned to the silent mech, Soundwave nodded at him before turning his attention to the screen. The scout knew that they had the same thought: what could Starscream possibly want in Japan?

{Honshu, Japan – In for a Rude Awakening}

In Tokyo the day had started like any other, with the streets filling with people on their way to work. A few tourists tried to navigate their way using tour guidebooks and horribly butchering pronunciation of everything they tried to say. In short there was much honking, a lot of speeding cars and a few people with short tempers that you see in every country when there's a language barrier. All around a normal day that would soon be very unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

The approaching roar of a plane was heard first by those in the upper stories of the buildings, who did not have the sounds of street muffling their hearing. Intrigue and raised eyebrows, which quickly turned to alarm at seeing the fighter plane descending on the city, had many running for the stairs. What caught the attention of the people in the streets was the sounding of the air raid siren, not heard in so long that many paused in disbelief before turning to catch a glimpse of the plane coming at them.

Screams erupted like a wave, fear spreading to every soul as the plane opened fire on Tokyo. Missiles were launched at buildings, Starscream flew in and down, opening up with a torrent of yellow laser fire on the streets. Cars exploded and he flew on, leaving a trail of mayhem in his wake.

"_How delicious their screams sound_," the voice in his audios purred. "_Like a fine cube of high grade energon, just tantalizing you with its smell. You raise it to your mouth, just inhaling to savor it more before drinking. How more satisfying it would be to scoop up a pile of these fleshbags and crush them in your talons, coating you armor with the blood of your kill. Marking yourself in such a way is the only way to truly embrace yourself. What are you Starscream? A killer. You enjoy killing, especially this pathetic species that does not deserve to live as anything other than a source of amusement for us, the superior life forms."_

Starscream did a barrel roll, in an attempt to dislodge the voice but it continued to burn his circuitry. Defiling his inner workings like the cybonic plague, corroding his innards and he knew no number of trips through the wash rack would clean away the stench of his shame.

"Soundwave," Shockwave's voice came into his head, "continue to primary target."

This had just been a distraction, firing on the city and terrorizing the Japanese citizens, nothing more. Starscream had known that beforehand, Shockwave had told him, his real target was a house on the outskirts of the city. He did not know why, of course, but he knew it was not anything good; there was nothing good in his life now. In fact he could barely remember when he had last cared about happiness or wanting a good thing in his life. It was no matter though; he would never attain anything worth keeping now.

Starscream reached the house and transformed, registering the surprised shouts of the house's occupants. A man and a woman, middle aged, and running for the back of the house. No doubt trying to escape, not knowing that such an action was futile. There was no escape from Shockwave.

Starscream tore the house apart with his claws, wood splintering into the crevices of his armor and irritating the wiring yet he ignored this. "Hashiru Aiko!" He had found his quarry; he caught off their escape with his servos, leaving them no place to go. To his credit, the male human moved in front of his wife, trying to protect her though he must have known how ineffective that would be in stopping this giant robot.

Starscream reached down to grab them but a sound caught his attention and he looked up. Megatron was approaching with five Vehicon seekers, so much for Shockwave's distraction plan. _All the better though_, he thought, _perhaps this time they'll finally kill me_. He opened fire on the approaching seekers, his missiles locking on and zooming off in a second. Megatron transformed halfway and shot down the missiles, as Starscream could have told Shockwave he would.

The humans temporarily forgotten, it would take them awhile to climb out of where they were trapped anyway, Starscream again waited for Shockwave's enemies to land. He wondered why they had not opened fire yet, Megatron would not have hesitated like this so what was his former leader planning? He did not wait to find out, Starscream fired a few more missiles, impressed at how the Vehicons batted them out of the way, someone had been taking a lot more care with their training than he ever had.

"Shockwave!" Megatron growled, "Stop hiding behind your puppets and come out and face me!" Starscream wondered how Megatron knew, why was the Decepticon leader even bothering pursuing his former lieutenant in the first place? "Are you afraid?" Megatron goaded, his red optics boring into Starscream's. "Unsurprising that a mech of such lowly origin would be such a coward."

The sound of approaching planes distracted all of the mechs and they turned to see six Japanese fighter planes coming towards their direction. "Distract them!" Megatron growled, and the Vehicons quickly transformed and took off.

"_Starscream, grab the humans_," Shockwave ordered and Starscream quickly bent down to scoop up a human in each servo, his claws circling around their fragile bodies with a tight grip.

Megatron brought his cannon to bear but a shout of "No!" stopped him from firing. Starscream was shocked to see Optimus Prime run up to them, one arm out in Megatron's direction in an act of supplication. What in the Pit was going?

Starscream did not have time to ponder this because a ground bridge opened behind him. "_Starscream, throw the humans into the ground bridge_." Wondering at the order but not able to hesitate, Starscream turned and threw his two burdens into the open ground bridge.

"No!" Optimus Prime shouted again, running towards the ground bridge and Starscream.

"Starscream, your usefulness is at an end." The seeker had no time to panic for his senses went dark and his form crumpled to the dirt.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

It had been a horrible day, Megatron concluded, and it was far from over yet, he was sure of that. They had returned to the _Nemesis_ with the body of Starscream, which Knockout and Ratchet had taken to the medical bay for analysis. Shockwave had sacrificed a pawn and hoped to gain what in return? Soundwave had found the identity of the two humans: Hiro and Aiko Nakadai, the biological parents of Miko.

A leader had many unpleasant duties and one of them was to inform a member of his crew of the passing or capture of a family member or close friend. Megatron had never shirked this duty, although he felt wholly inadequate at trying to console the grieving mech. Even though Miko was human she was under his protection and it was his failure to take in all the variables that had resulted in her parents being abducted. It was his duty to inform her of their capture, but he would leave the consoling to her guardian to perform.

When Bulkhead warily brought Miko on to the bridge Megatron was glad to see that she was blessedly quiet. Even she could realize that being summoned by the Decepticon leader was no joking matter. Her wide brown eyes were gazing at him with barely controlled fear, no doubt she thought he was about to scold her for some wrongdoing. She would probably wish it had been a scolding once he was done talking to her.

Before Megatron could begin a beeping sound, indicating a hail, came from a console. Soundwave looked at Megatron and he nodded for the go-ahead, eager to delay the inevitable conversation a little bit longer. The human girl would no doubt cry and he had no idea how to handle tears.

The view screen opened a window for the hail and Megatron's spark jumped at seeing Miko's parents kneeling on a table. "_Lord Megatron_," the voice of Shockwave drifted through the speakers, cold and emotionless as he remembered it being. He quickly motioned to Soundwave but he could have saved himself the trouble as the communications officer was already working on tracking the signal. "_For hundreds of years the chaotic doings of the Decepticon and Autobot forces has been left unchecked, destroying our home planet and colonies, leaving sparklings as orphans and doing nothing to restore order to our people. Thanks to you we are a scattered people, we have no home and must be beggars to races inferior to us. I say no more. I will bring peace to the Cybertronians, I will turn this Earth and its neighboring planets into a proper home for my people. Those who accept my code will live prosperously under my control, those who do not will meet the same end as these two unfortunate beings_."

"Otosan? Okasan?" Miko said, startling the mechs on the bridge for they had completely forgotten her.

Her parents looked up, gasping out "Miko?" as their eyes searched for her but she was too far back from the view screen's camera to pick up.

"_Oh good_," a different voice purred, and Megatron swore mentally that he knew it, "_the daughter is present_."

A mech's arm came into view, a cannon powering up and pointing at the two humans. Bulkhead was too frozen to move but a Vehicon near him grabbed the girl just as a shot was fired. Miko screamed, the drone's servos surrounding her, trying to shield her from seeing the burnt mark on the table but the girl did not have to see it. She had heard the cannon blast, and no one needed to tell her what had happened.

Collapsing in the Vehicon's grip she sobbed, fighting the urge to upheave her stomach contents. Feeling her body beginning to shut down, Miko turned to look up at the Vehicon who was holding her. "Haru?" she whispered and then her eyes closed, and her body went limp.

Megatron wheeled on the screen but it had gone blank, the line had been disconnected. "Did you find him?" he asked Soundwave, needing to hear something positive to salvage this disaster, something with which he could work to right yet another wrong he had helped commit.

**Decepticons: 20**

**Autobots: 9**


	38. Chapter 38

**Wisty: Welcome and thanks for the review. That was definitely my line of thinking. Why would I write about stuff everyone already knows? Nope, not for me.**

**MissCHSparkles: Welcome back! Once I wrap up Shockwave and MECH I'll get into Wheeljack's past but you're spot on. **

**Starfire201: Most leaders or tyrants(politicians) are hypocrites so writing Shockwave's character was pretty easy. Throwing away your assets will always prove to be a mistake.**

**B3lol: Yes I did.**

**Gajeel-rocks: Just trying to move it along.**

**Phoenyx Starr: Your favorite characters are safe then.**

**Jiotg: Welcome and thanks for the review. Stay tuned.**

**Stitchar: Any misspellings, grammar issues can be laid at my beta-reader's door.**

**IamStarscream: Sorry for the wait.**

**QuantumSheep: Robots talking about burgers could be fun, especially if Ratchet spent half the chapter trying to convince the children not to eat them since fast food is so unhealthy.**

**Thunderweb: A lot of people don't see that begging is a sign of humility, like the story of the proud lion who got caught in a trap and had to ask the mouse for help. Spacelady2012: Welcome and thanks for the review! Yes, Shockwave is definitely not right in the head. **

**Answerthecall: don't worry, he will. **

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Outrage. Anger. Rage. The bridge was rampant with these emotions; even Orion Prime cannot stop them from igniting in his spark. The Autobots were assembled before Megatron; those who knew Miko the best were bristling with wrathful fury, all eager to leave that very moment to kill Shockwave. Bulkhead had to be held in place by Dreadwing, backed up by the Twins as the ex-Wrecker was fighting the seeker's grip with all his might.

Miko had been taken to the medical bay by the Vehicon on Megatron's order, as the Decepticon leader wanted her as far away as possible from the room where she had witnessed her parents' murder. The ex-gladiator listened to the shouting match Arcee and Bulkhead were having, their companions only adding to the din by yelling at bot to calm down. Megatron tried to assert his authority, knowing the best way to maintain control over the situation was to unite all of them but even his voice was lost amidst the sea of overlapping vocals.

Oblivious to all the noise, Soundwave stood motionless at his post. He had not moved since Megatron had enquired about whether Shockwave's location had been found, and that had been fifteen minutes ago. Behind his expressionless facemask, Soundwave's red optics were glued to the screen where he had seen the elder Nakadais' so ghastly executed.

Like Megatron, Soundwave had recognized the arm that had fired the killing shot and it had not been Shockwave. Unlike his leader though, Soundwave had been able to identify the owner of the arm rather quickly, unsurprisingly really given the fact that he was still haunted by the memory of what that mech had done years ago. The memory surfaced before his optics, a horrific reminder that it did not matter how strong or powerful you were you could still lose everything you hold dear in the blink of an optic.

_He had started to worry when she had missed her second check-in_. _One check-in she might miss, not two, something was wrong he could feel it_. _He should alert Megatron, but he holds off, hoping that he's wrong, hoping that she'll call in soon. She was just a few seconds late, that was all, just a few seconds_.

_Soundwave nearly jumped out of his frame when the call came in. His spark stuttering crazily in shock, happy shock, she was all right_!_ The jubilation he felt in answering her comm was like nothing he had ever felt before, nothing he had ever thought he would feel after Shockwave's mutilation_.

_When the video line popped up he was confused, and then his whole frame descended into a state of terror. There she was, his beautiful Sparknight, chained to a metal frame of some sort. He was motionless, frozen in place as her helm was grasped by a black servo_.

"_The Autobots did not take kindly to this pretty little femme snooping around their base. She gave a merry chase, Decepticon, but no one outwits me for long. I always bag my prize in the end." Sparknight's head was tilted to look at the camera, her maroon optics leaking coolant, "An extra bonus was paid if I make sure what this pretty one found out never reaches your side, how I do that was left up to me so enjoy the show Decepticon_,"

_A whirl of machinery and he could see the panic build of Sparknight's optics, "Soundwave_!"

"Soundwave?" A hand touched his arm and the communications officer whipped around, priming his blaster and aiming it at Bumblebee's head.

Silence stretched across the bridge, even the Vehicons froze at their stations. No one moved, no one dared. A pin dropping at this point would have startled even Megatron, and he was as still as the rest of the Cybertronians.

Soundwave carefully transformed his blaster back into his servo and rested it gently on Bumblebee's shoulder. It was an apology that everyone recognized and Bumblebee nodded to show that he accepted; yet he did not speak. The silence continued to reign at Soundwave turned to Megatron, making everyone jump as he forwent his customary tapping to a helm, which he only did out of consideration to others, and connected to everyone's processors on the bridge. Save the Vehicons, to them he sent a soothing wave that had them happily turning back to their stations and ignoring everything else.

'_Shockwave has overstepped himself; he has grown too sure of his movements and thinks he controls the chessboard. The execution of the Nakadais has revealed another piece, one who can be just as crafty as Starscream but equally as deadly as Shockwave: the bounty hunter named Lockdown_.'

There was a collective intake of air around the bridge spoke for itself of Lockdown's reputation. The bounty hunter had been a legend since before the war began, used primarily by the council to track down runaway slaves. He showed his true colors during the war by taking jobs for both sides and not caring that he went after the very mechs he had helped the day before. Megatron had never hired Lockdown himself, although Starscream had a few times but the Decepticon leader had put an end to that and placed a reward on the bounty hunter after having witnessed the merciless mech savagely dismember Sparknight before killing her.

Unfortunately, the Decepticons had never caught Lockdown; instead he had mysteriously vanished without a trace. Until today it seemed.

"Where did the signal come from, Soundwave?" Megatron asked, knowing that it was not only Bulkhead who was thinking of revenge but his TIC as well. "Where is Shockwave hiding?"

In answer, Soundwave used one of his data cables to connect to a terminal. The screen came to life, a red dot that Soundwave zoomed in on highlighted New York, before going to the top of the state and indicating Clinton county. '_It is an abandoned business town that was slated to be torn down but the records were altered and a historical protection seal was assigned. What we see on the surface is nothing more than what it is. I believe that Shockwave's lair in underneath, where it would be less noticeable to even our scanners_.'

"Agreed," said Megatron, "however, there is someone who can confirm this." He lifted his servo to activate his comm, "Knockout, is he ready to be brought online? Excellent, I shall be down shortly. Soundwave, move the ship into the upper atmosohere, we shall attack first through the gate bridge and then bring the _Nemesis_ in as backup if it is needed. Dreadwing and Orion, assemble your troops on the outer deck within the hour."

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

He opened his optics but immediately shuttered them against the blaring light above him.

"Starscream?" The voice made him snap his optics back open, thankfully to a dimmer lit room, and he was able to focus on the red mech leaning over him. Knockout, his processor identified for him, the medic on the _Nemesis_, Megatron's warship. Knowing who it was however did nothing to calm Starscream and he frantically whipped his helm about, sweeping the room with his optics. "He is not here, Starscream, do you hear me? Shockwave is not here!"

But the more Starscream became aware the more the fear grew within him. He did not stop to consider that his frame had been repaired, that his wings were in better shape than they had been for a while. All of Knockout and Ratchet's care was overlooked, as Starscream's processor was invaded by his memories from his enslavement.

Knockout backed up as Starscream thrashed against his restraints, his voice barely above a whisper as he pleaded to be released. The medic was at a loss as to how to proceed, he knew the slave code was no longer present in the seeker but the damage to memory files and Starscream's nervous system had not been easy to repair and Knockout feared the seeker would spend the better part of a year in the medical bay just trying to sort out the topsy-turviness of his memories.

This was the scene Megatron walked in on when he entered the medical bay. His red optics took in Knockout's perplexed face and Starscream's trembling frame with a disapproving sneer. He quickly made his way over to the berth and grabbed hold of Starscream, "Enough of this!" Surprisingly the seeker quieted at the contact, going rigidly still and looking up at him with such fear that he had never managed to instill in his former second-in-command before. "Starscream, where is Shockwave? Where is his lair? Who else besides Lockdown does he have working for him? Answer me!"

"I don't know!" Starscream finally managed to say, the whimpers escaping his throat as he tried to shrink into himself. "I don't know! I don't know! Shockwave! Shockwave! Code! Pain, pain, pain! I don't know!"

"It is no use, lord Megatron," Knockout said, "his memory files are too corrupted. It will take time to help him unscramble them and fill in the missing gaps."

"Time we do not have." Megatron looked down at the quivering seeker in his grasp and released him, "Very well, we shall make our move against Shockwave now, acting on the information we currently have at our disposal. If he says anything or you are able to unravel anything notify me immediately."

"I will, my lord."

Megatron exited the medical bay, more disturbed than when he had gone in. Shockwave had broken Starscream, most likely to a point from which he could never be completely fixed. There was only so much the Cybertronians could do on their own, without the AllSpark many of the more fragile circuitry in mechs and femmes could never be repaired.

He was going to kill Shockwave, but not quickly, oh no, the mech did not deserve a merciful death. No one would stop Megatron from enacting justice in the names of those whom the scientist had destroyed. Shockwave did not know the fury that was coming his way.

**AN: the character Sparknight does not belong to me but to my beta-reader, Mrs. Ukitake. Also, I start a new job Monday so…updates might be even slower, which is why I will try to write like crazy this weekend.**


	39. Chapter 39

**AN: Almost 100 followers!**

**Wisty: I just saw the 4****th**** Transformers last week and was like, "I need Lockdown in my story!" Thanks on liking Soundwave's background story; I always thought they could have done more with him, even in Transformers Prime.**

**Stitchar: Glad you're keeping score! Thanks, my first week at work and I'm exhausted, they definitely do not take it easy on rookies. Anyway, I wanted to just sleep but I knew my loyal fans could only be patient for so long.**

**Answerthecall: Glad it was nerve-wracking, it was supposed to be. Yeah, Lockdown was the only character I could think of to be the mech with yellow optics, up to that point he really didn't have an identity.**

**Starfire201: the bad guys always do.**

**Igeegeei: Starscream would most likely try to kill you if you touched him. He's very touchy right now.**

**64: Please don't ask me to update just when I've updated a day in you reading this chapter. It makes me feel guilty when I can't update quickly. My job comes first.**

**QuantumSheep: Lockdown will definitely swagger, but the accent will be up to you reading it. Unless I remember to specifically say that he's using a British accent, but as he's going to be very (spoiler deleted) in the upcoming chapters I might forget to mention it. I've written multiple character stories and I think as long as I stay on top of where everyone is and mainly focus on my four main characters then I should be ok. But thanks for your concern, mon ami.**

{New York – Abandoned Town}

Just above the abandoned town a tiny green dot appeared, quickly swirling until it was larger. Less than half a mile down the road a second a second portal opened, its florescent green light clashing violently with the dark green, overgrown terrain. From both of these ground bridges the combined forces of the Autobot and Decepticon alliance poured forth. Megatron led the seekers, their frames only half transformed to glide the short distance to the ground. Orion Prime led the ground forces up the short stretch of road, Autobots and Vehicons mixed in with the bunch, and they were within the town's limits in a matter of seconds.

Megatron grinned when the town's defenses finally activated. By opening the ground bridge so close to the target, Soundwave had predicted that any defense systems would be momentarily delayed in responding, thereby buying a few seconds for the invading teams to get inside the town and surprise Shockwave. The Decepticon leader loved it when a plan came together.

The gun turrets that came up were facing away from the town, requiring time to turn around in order to face the Autobot/Decepticon forces. Time that Megatron's and Orion's mechs were able to use in order to open up fire first. No order was given to shoot; it was unnecessary to do so with such an obvious threat swiveling towards them.

A volley of blue and red laser fire opened up in the deserted town. The outer line of defense of the town was quickly destroyed, the fires from each of the blown up turrets quickly catching onto the dried wood of the town.

"Takethat, Shockwave!" Blurr yelled, jumping up and down. "Takethat, Shockwave!"

Megatron knocked his ped against the barrel from a turret, cocking an optic ridge as he noted the size and shape of it. "I have seen this design before." It took only a second for him to access his memory files and run a comparison but sometimes even the smallest measurement of time can be very costly.

The echoing roar of the shot almost completely drowned out the cry of pain, but the scream of outrage was easily heard.

"BLURR!" Megatron whipped his head around to see a smoking hole in the blue mech's chest plates. He quickly grabbed ahold of Bumblebee, who had started to jump forward with the intent of running to his fallen comrade's side. "No, let me go!"

"You swore to stay by my side, Bumblebee," Megatron said, pulling the smaller mech behind him as they both crouched, looking for the enemy. Bumblebee was too stunned by the fact that Megatron had actually addressed him by name to argue with the older mech's words. "Now keep your oath!"

A tank rolled out of a nearby building into their street and opened fire on their position. Megatron and Bumblebee ducked while the Decepticon leader powered his cannon and fired. The tank blew up in a blaze of red, black fumes curling up to the sky. A quick ping of the area revealed many more tanks coming out and opening fire of the Autobots and Decepticons.

"That's it," Megatron growled, pulling Bumblebee behind him. "I'm sending you back to the _Nemesis_. You can escort your friend Blurr back."

"What? No!" Bumblebee protested. "You promised that you wouldn't send me back! You want me to keep my oath? Well you have to keep yours too!"

Megatron growled in annoyance, maybe giving the pipsqueak back his voice had not been such a great idea. "You will obey me!"

"No!" Bumblebee pulled against the Decepticon's restraining grip.

"Bumblebee!" Megatron snapped, making the younger mech falter and look up at him. "You must leave now."

"But why?" Bumblebee asked, searching Megatron's blazing red optics for some sign as to explain the mech's change of spark. "I'm an adult, I can handle—"

'This is not Shockwave's base," Megatron argued, but two approaching tanks forced him to shove Bumblebee to the ground so that he could open fire before they did. Turning from the smoldering tanks, Megatron looked down into the angry blue optics of Bumblebee, "This is lair of MECH." His little scout's optics widened in alarm and comprehension, "Now do you understand? You must return to the _Nemesis_. Soudnwave, open a—"

"No!" Bumblebee stood up, ignoring the fighting going around him as he stood his ground. "If I leave now then I will never throw off their chains! I will not cower from their shadow anymore. Let me stand up for myself, let me face them. It is the only to keep Silas from haunting me any longer." Bumblebee drew in an unnecessary breath, "I don't want to be afraid anymore."

Red and blue stared at one another for a very intense moment, the older weighing the words of the younger before giving a deciding nod. "So be it."

It was then that they seemed to remember the ongoing battle and turned their attention to it. A Vehicon had evacuated Blurr's injured form back to the _Nemesis_, and others were assisting those of their comrades who were still functioning. There were at least three Vehicons who would never stand up again.

"Megatron," Orion called over, "the tanks, they're being driven by—"

"By humans who do not care what your morals are!" Megatron shouted, grabbing a tank from behind and hefting it up so he could throw it at another one. "Level the buildings and find the entrance to the underground, leave the tanks to us." Megatron tilted his helm, "Little scout?"

"I'm with you," Bumblebee said without hesitation. "I did promise after all."

"So you did."

A Vehicon near them took a blast to the back, spinning around to catch a second to the chest before falling. The Twins were back-to-back and batting away tank missiles with their hands. Sunstreaker growled as his armor was nicked, scratching the paint, and he shot at the tank that had fired.

"Sunny!" Sideswipe protested, turning slightly to look at his brother.

"They fired first!" Sunstreaker reasoned. "It's us or them, and I prefer it to be them."

Bulkhead and Arcee had joined Orion Prime in wrecking the already dingy buildings. The Vehicons provided them cover while they searched for an entrance to MECH's lair. Ripping their way through the dilapidated buildings was fairly easy, the materials having become very flimsy after years of neglect to the structures. Orion had nearly lost his processor in shock when Megatron had sent out the wide ranged message that this was MECH's base, and not Shockwave's. It was doubtful that Shockwave would be hiding in the same place as MECH, he merely routed his transmission through them to the _Nemesis_, using them and discarding them at the same time. _Perhaps_, Orion thought, _we can use that to our advantage. Silas will surely want to tell everything he knows when we tell him Shockwave betrayed him._

Yet Orion was under no illusion that Silas would live to see the end of this day, if they wanted information then he would have to make sure that he got to the human before Megatron and Bumblebee did. Orion knew he was not hardsparked like Megatron was, nor did he have Bumblebee's justifiable anger, but he was not a coward. Optimus Prime had interrogated high-ranking prisoners during the war, often at the council's will, and Orion Pax had read nearly every file in the Archives, expanding his knowledge during his time of confinement within his processor. Orion Prime had the memories of both lives, united as one; all he had to do was use them to guide him through this.

"Prime!" Arcee called. "Over here!"

Meanwhile, Megatron and Bumblebee had turned the tide against the tanks. The number of tanks coming out of the abandoned buildings had, at first, been overwhelming, but once Megatron had been able to organize his forces again the small metal boxes on wheels had not stood a chance. Bumblebee had surprised the Decepticon leader by opening fire on a tank without prompting from Megatron, but the older mech supposed that it was easier to kill when you were not staring your enemy in the face.

Megatron drew his sword and sliced through a tank, not bothering to watch as its parts erupted. Bumblebee was exchanging fire with another tank, dodging missiles as he got closer before finally jumping on the tank and twisting the barrel. The little scout jumped off just as the tank fired its next shot, blowing itself apart. Once, Megatron might have taken satisfaction in seeing an Autobot change so much from who they were, but the sight of Bumblebee attacking Silas' minions only reminds the Decepticon leader of how much the adolescent suffered at the hands of these vile specimens of the human race. Orion would want to give them a chance, well those men driving the tanks were seeing their comrades dying and they had the chance to flee their vehicles but they chose not to, so they willingly continued on with their attack.

Finally, the last tank had been destroyed and all the buildings leveled. Megatron helped Bumblebee up, who had jumped to avoid a tank missile and had used a building to break his fall. The Twins were expressing their concern for one another by teasing each other about the number of scratches to their paint. "What are you complaining about? That one's hardly deep at all." Megatron could not understand how two such mechs, who spent more time on their finish than Knockout, could be such terrifying fighters. He remembered the times in battles past where Starscream and his seekers would refuse to come out when they had heard that the Twins were on the field, the terrible duo who had been built for the sole purpose of taking down aerial craft. Now they were fighting on the same side, such an unfathomable thought but there it was, and deep within his spark Megatron was glad to have them.

"_Megatron_," Orion's voice came over his com, "_we've found it_." He turned to see his friend with Bullhead and Arcee a ways off, looking down at something. "_I'm going in."_

"Orion wait!" But it was too late, his stubborn friend and his lackeys had already disappeared from sight.

"What's Orion doing?" Bumblebee asked, staying by Megatron's side though the Decepticon can tell that the young one is just itching to run ahead to investigate on his own.

"Being a fool," Megatron answered. "He should know by now that he doesn't have to prove anything to me." Glancing around at the remaining troops, the Decepticon leader knew that he did not have enough to storm MECH's lair, which would no doubt be filled with intricate passages and who knew what kind of booby traps. Making a decision, Megatron keyed his com, "Dreadwing, send in the reinforcements."

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

Starscream had been placed in an isolated room of the medical bay. From there he could see almost everything that went on in the larger room but with the lighting low where he was very few would be able to see him. Knockout had explained that to him and Starscream liked it that way, he liked not being seen but also being able to keep an optic on any movement around him. One had to careful after all, an attack could from any direction.

Since his confinement to this room only one thing had really held Starscream's attention. Miko Nakadai. She was lying in a small bed on a shelf, so that no one would bump into her. During the times when she was awake she would either be crying inconsolably, or scream at Ratchet to let her down so that she could 'kick that murdering scum into a new galaxy'. Needless to say, Knockout amply dosed her with a sleeping drug as often as he could, or when Ratchet was absent. Starscream watched her because he could not look away, he knew that it was her parents he had thrown through the ground bridge but he had not known their fates until Miko had sworn vengeance on the bounty hunter. Only the deaths of her procreators could have caused such sorrowful anger.

When the first of the injured had started tricking in through the medical bay's door, Starscream had watched the proceedings with wide optics. The fairly young blue mech was leaking energon from a chest wound, and there were Vehicons in even worse shape. Strange how he had never seemed to care about vehicons being wounded before, but now he looked upon each injury with mounting worry, wondering(or hoping?) if those hurt would survive.

The seeker could not help but remember, all too vividly, his own injuries. How they had been inflicted upon him even more cruelly than Megatron's punishments. The torture his sensitive wings had been put through at Lockdown's servos. The bounty hunter had taken great delight in reducing Starscream to a sobbing piece of twisted metal, eager to do anything in order to end his agony. Starscream whimpered, remembering all too clearly the horrors but nothing about where he had been. He knew he had been put on monitor duty several times, yet he could not recount anything that he had seen on the screens.

While Starscream was tormented by his memories he did not notice that something activated. Underneath his wing armor, hidden near the base of the wiring of the wing joints to the seeker's backs, was a very small tracking device. Even though it was not activated, the signal was so weak that it would take some time for it to reach its destination.

**AN: I got the idea that since so many people have commented that they would like to hug Bumblebee or Starscream, so I was thinking(I know, such a terrible thing) should I collect hugs for characters or should I take a favorite character vote?**

**Faction Vote:**

**Decepticons: 21**

**Autobots: 9**

**AN: Are the Autobot fans going to catch up? Or have the Decepticon fans taken over? **


	40. Chapter 40

**RaphaelplusMikey: Glad to have you back pal! Air hugs count!**

**Wisty: Blurr isn't dead, if you remember, Starscream saw him being brought into the medical bay. You don't take a dead mech to see a medic. Thanks for voting! Who's Zuko?**

**Purest of the Hearts: good point**

**64: An update just for you!**

**Stitchar: Yeah, Arcee would not be good for either Miko or Starscream, she's too defensive, even more so after having the coding taken out of her.**

**FallenNietehre: Another reviewer is back! Thanks for the votes!**

**Starfire201: I was confused at first, lol. **

**Igeegeei: Thanks**

**Spacelady2012: Noted**

**Answerthecall: Don't worry; the bad guys' time is coming to an end. Oops, was that a spoiler?**

**QuantumSheep: I've never watched A-team actually, but I have heard that quote around. I don't know about Bumblebee fighting Lockdown, I must have stepped out during that scene in AOE 'cause I don't remember it. Glad you liked that chapter though.**

**Miss Anonymous: Stay tuned, MECH isn't out of the running yet.**

**Thunderweb: You can hug as many as you want. I laughed at how you wanted to hug the bad guys to death, lol.**

{New York – MECH's Headquarters)

Megatron growled in annoyance when he landed at the end of the elevator shaft. Orion and the other Autobots were not in sight, just as he had suspected, and his friend was ignoring his com calls. What was it that humans said? 'Lovable idiot'? Yes, that definitely applied to Orion.

'Too bad I can't take him over my knee," Megatron muttered. Dreadwing looked at him with a raised optic ridge and Bumblebee's optics went wide, "Well don't just stand there! Dreadwing, take the Twins and seekers down that way. I'll take the grounders this way. If you so much as think of ignoring my coms or not comming me when you find Orion I will ground you for a week!"

Every seeker whimpered at the threat, even Dreadwing was not immune to Megatron's words. His wings drooped and tucked away, trying to stay out of the line of sight. "By your command, Lord Megatron."

They split into two groups and Bumblebee stayed close to Megatron's back. Right now Bumblebee was fighting to stay true to his purpose and not run, like he really wanted too. His processor was fighting to stay focused on the here and now, and not be swallowed into the memory files that threatened to surface at any moment. It was a struggle, not only because he was, once again, inside a MECH base but also because the similarities between where he was kept and this place were too many to be comfortable with.

_Commence the procedure._

Bumblebee jerked, his eyes landing on some disconnected cables in a corner. It was surely his imagination that made the ends look like the one Silas had used to install the slave code.

_Welcome to MECH, Stingray_.

Bumblebee jumped forward, quickly grabbing ahold of Megatron's arm, halting the larger mech in his steps. The Decepticon leader glanced back, assessing Bumblebee's wide optics and slight shaking. "Little scout?"

"I-I'm all right." At Megatron's questioning gaze Bumblebee steadied himself, "I really am."

Bumblebee knew he had not fooled Megatron, the older mech's optics were too wise and understanding. The Decepticon could see through the small scout, Bumblebee was sure of it. Surprisingly though, Megatron merely told him to stay close and turned around.

Megatron drew his sword quickly and lashed out, startling everyone as well as his hidden attacker. The human had stepped out of the shadows of the hallway, a shoulder cannon primed to fire, but the Decepticon leader's quick action averted the trigger from being pulled. He swiped out with his sword, the sharp edge slicing through the bone and separating the man's arm from his body.

He heard Bumblebee gasp behind him, but Megatron quickly silenced the screaming human before straightening. A glance at Bumblebee confirmed that if the scout had been human his face would have been very pale. Megatron watched at Bumblebee's eyes strayed from the body to the red that tainted the ex-gladiator's sword.

The warlord said nothing, mainly because there was no time to do so. The Cybertronians had come out of the hallway and were now standing in a large open area. Catwalks ran every which way above their heads and Megatron and the grounders had to quickly jump out of the way as the humans opened fire. The MECH soldiers were armed with shoulder cannons and laser rifles, the technology looking eerily similar to that of the Cybertronians, just made smaller, and they were spread out all along the catwalks.

"Fools," Megatron said, aiming at a catwalk's connection to the wall and firing his own cannon. The blast hit the connecting cables and one side of the catwalk fell, the humans crying out as they tumbled to the floor below.

The Vehicons took a page out of their leader's book and opened fire on the catwalks themselves, rather then trying to pick off the humans one-by-one. Only the lower catwalks had to be avoided when they fell, no one, not even Bumblebee, stepped forward to grab the humans as gravity claimed them. The _splat!_ of flesh hitting the concrete floor was sickening to the audios, the screams cut short when the MECH soldiers died on impact, most of them that is.

The humans who had been on the lower catwalks survived the fall. A few of them broke their legs or were stunned from hitting the concrete, but whatever their state was unimportant. Megatron rushed forward to scoop up the standing survivors and fling them against a wall, the snapping of their bones quite audible.

Bumblebee inhaled sharply, looking at the carnage around him. Megatron looked at him, his optics measuring and the scout realized something. This had been a test! Megatron had not attempted to shield him from the brutality of these humans' deaths, for the sole purpose of letting him see exactly what was needed in his quest for vengeance. Now that he realized what Megatron was doing, Bumblebee looked around with new optics, wondering, not for the first time, if he really was ready for this.

Megatron turned from Bumblebee, his processor troubled. All these humans they had run into had to mean that Orion and the other two Autobots had not come this way. At least he hoped that that was what it meant, and that there was not anything sinister in store for them.

"Megatron to Dreadwing, have you found Orion?"

"_Negative, my lord. Watch your flank! Behind you Sunbeam_!"

"_My name is Sunstreaker_! _Ah_!"

"What is your status Dreadwing?" Megatron asked.

"_We're currently pinned down by some of those robots you encountered at the last MECH base, only they seem to have had a few upgrades since then. I estimate we will get through soon though_."

"Very good. Keep me upraised of your situation."

"_Acknowledged, my lord_."

Megatron signaled the grounders to follow him and he turned to head for the exit. A laser shot brought everyone up short and they whipped around, weapons up and armed. The Decepticon leader looked at Bumblebee, in particular at the scout's powering down blaster.

"H-h-he was going to shoot you in the back," Bumblebee whispered, looking at the dead human that had a crater in his chest.

"Little scout," Megatron's endearment made Bumblebee turn around, his slightly shiny optics hesitantly looking into the Decepticon's own. "You saved me from injury, and there is nothing wrong with that."

Only after Bumblebee nodded did Megatron turn around to lead them into the next tunnel. Bumblebee stuck close behind the warlord, his processor focusing hard on the stern mech walking before him. He had killed his first human face-to-face without being under Silas' control. When Bumblebee had seen the human leveling his shoulder cannon at Megatron's back he had not thought at all, just simply reacted. Only after the soldier had fallen back had Bumblebee realized what he had done, and he had been shocked to find that he had felt no remorse.

He had not killed the MECH soldier out of animosity, merely the need to protect Megatron. And what was the Decepticon leader to him? His surrogate father? Neither of them had talked about the obvious bond that had silently formed between them, and Bumblebee was not sure how that conversation would go once they finally sat down to speak things out.

"What is this?" Megatron asked after a few minutes, as they came into another open area. What human had designed this lair? Picasso?

Orion, followed by Bulkhead and Arcee came into the same area from a different tunnel. A second of everyone pointing their weapons at each other quickly passed and Megatron stomped, eh, walked his way over to Orion, his jaw clenched tightly. This was not the place to lose his temper, Megatron knew that, but oh how he wanted drum Orion on the helm for this stunt.

Orion Prime opened his mouth to speak but Megatron stopped him, "I do not want to hear any excuses on why you so foolhardily went off on your own, we have more important things to think about right now. We need to regroup with Dreadwing's group and set about destroying this base and finding Silas. Now, if you're quite done doing unnecessary th—"

A yelp from behind made Megatron stop and turn around. A steel claw had latched onto Bumblebee's shoulder, the cable attached to it going taut and everyone watched in disbelief as the scout was jerked from his pedes and pulled backwards. Megatron was the first to move, jumping forward, his arm stretched out to its full length to reach for Bumblebee but it was not enough. A very thick metal door came down, separating Bumblebee from the rest of the Cybertronians and Megatron was unable to stop himself from smashing into it hard.

"No," Megatron stood up, placing his servo, fingers splayed out, on the door. "No!" Megatron pulled his servo back, digits curling in before he hit the metal obstruction with all his might. His punch had barely made a dent in the door, "NO!"

"Megatron!" Orion rushed forward, his servo catching his friend's arm as Megatron started punching the door with great ferocity. "Stop, this will do Bumblebee no good."

Megatron pulled out of Orion's grip with a growl of frustration. He looked at the metal door before slashing at it with his claws, making five slight scratch marks across the surface. Defeated, Megatron stepped back and placed his servo against the door, leaning against it.

"I am sorry," Orion said, his spark twisting with guilt. "This is all my fault."

Megatron sighed, "How is this your fault, Orion? He was snatched from behind me!"

"Yes, and if you had not been so focused on me you would not have been surprised by this. I have been a fool."

"You and me both," Megatron muttered. He glared at the door, finding himself wishing that he could know that Silas was not on the other side. "We must get to the other side quickly, Silas did not go through all this trouble to simply have tea with Bumblebee."

"What will you do to Silas when you get ahold of him?"

The question brought Megatron up short and he looked back at Orion. "That is why you went off on your own, isn't it? You wanted to get to him first. Why?"  
"Shockwave betrayed Silas, you know this, so I thought that if Silas knew his partner had betrayed him then he might be willing to do likewise in return."

"For what reason?" Megatron asked contemptuously. "Six months off for good behavior? You wanted to offer him a chance at redemption. Why? Why would you waste your time? Why must you always seek to redeem the unredeemable?"

Orion's optics glazed slightly with a sad expression that reflected more inward than at Megatron's words. "It is the only aspect of Orion Pax that the council were unable to keep from being accepted by the Prime. My belief that everyone deserves a chance for redemption is what kept Optimus from snuffing out your spark many times," Megatron's optics widened at this revelation. "I cannot simply ignore this belief of mine that everyone deserves a second, third and even a fourth chance. If this belief was strong enough to evade the council's recoding program then it is simply too important for me to simply brush aside in favor of killing everyone who makes a wrong choice. It is not me, it never has been. I did want to prove to you though that I am capable of handling myself, I did not think those weapons training programs you insisted I go through were enough to show you that I am as much as I was before."

Megatron could not help it, he tried to force it back but a choked laugh came out anyway. This situation had completely gotten out of his control, and that was one thing Megatron hated above everything else, losing control. Bumblebee had been captured, was probably being tortured at this moment or even having the slave code re-downloaded into his frame, and here he had a very insecure Orion who he had been too busy to see was still, subconsciously, struggling with two lines of memory files. A visit with Knockout was definitely in order once they were back on the _Nemesis_.

Megatron raised his servo to activate his com, "Little scout? Are you there?" His message was not answered, but then he had not really expected Bumblebee to have a servo free to answer him. "If you remember, failure to answer your com will result in a week of being restricted to no driving should you not have a reasonable explanation. I suggest, little scout, that you think of something very convincing." Switching channels, Megatron hailed Dreadwing. "Dreadwing, fall back to my position, I am in need of your cannon."

**Hug Vote:**

**Starscream - 5**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Orion – 2**

**Soundwave – 2**

**Raf – 2**

**Miko – 2**

**mckeown – 2**

**Megatron – 1(Yes, a person was brave enough)**

**Favorite Character Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 1**

**Soundwave – 3**

**Knockout – 2**

**Blurr - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 23**

**Autobots - 9**


	41. Chapter 41

**AN: Clarification on hug and favorite character voting, you can hug characters as many times as you want, and you can like more than one character. You can only vote once for faction vote unless you decide to defect to the other side, if that's the case then I hope you make before your old faction gets ahold of you.**

**Megatronfan: Welcome and thanks for the review and votes. **

**Purest of the Hearts: Hahaha!**

**Witch08: Yo, where you been?**

**FallenNietehre: Thanks for the votes.**

**64: You are so patient!**

**QuantumSheep: Wow, another long review, I had to log onto the site to finish reading it. Thanks. **

**RaphaelplusMikey: Thanks**

**Thunderweb: Here's his decision.**

**Stitchar: Hold off on the strangling a wee bit longer, and thanks for the hug. I won't change your mind.**

**Spacelady2012: Thanks for the votes**

**Answerthecall: I hope I can!**

**TransformersBeeFan: Yeah, it can be read like that; glad it's got you on the edge of your seat.**

**Chapter Summary: Bumblebee makes a choice**

{MECH base – Ney York}

Bumblebee was beyond shocked when the metal claw like hand had grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backward. He had tried to reach for Megatron, or at least stick his legs out for the warlord to grab but everything had just happened so fast. The metal door slamming down between them had seemed to also crush Bumblebee's spark, as well as cutting him off from the Decepticon's sight.

Once he could finally get ahold of the metal clamp Bumblebee tore it off with his free servo and was on his pedes in a second. He rushed to the thick slab of metal and banged against it, the air cycling rapidly through his air valves as he started to panic. _This is not good, this is not good, thisisnotgood_!

"Desist soldier!" The voice cut through Bumblebee's processor like the crack of a bullwhip. Bumblebee froze, his optics widening and his air valve hitched. Not now, not now when he was all alone, not now when Megatron could not help him.

"Welcome home, Stingray."

_No_! Bumblebee thought, his frame starting to shake. _This isn't real_! _It's a nightmare_! _It has to be a nightmare_!

"Turn around, Stingray," the voice wormed its way through his audios, coaxing him to obey. It was the same from his nightmares, a voice that was haughty, confident and with an undercurrent of darkness that could send shivers running down anyone's spine. "Turn around!"

Bumblebee wheeled around, priming his blasters as he did so. The room he was in had only center lights, casting the rest in shadow, but he could see the outlines of several men positioned throughout the area. There was no mistaking Silas; no matter where he was the human was always easily recognizable. He stood right now against a brightly lit screen that hung on the wall, the screen itself was blank, just a solid light blue that surrounded the black form of Silas.

"Now, now, Stingray, there's no need for hostilities, after all," Silas stepped into the light, "you're one of us."

"I'm nothing like you!" Bumblebee shouted.

"Now you speak," Silas said, "all the better I suppose. You're wrong, of course, you _are_ a soldier of MECH," Silas persisted, his voice reminding Bumblebee of the wolf in that cartoon he had watched with Raf awhile back. "I see you learned your lessons well. I am pleased that time spent among the sniveling Autobots and Decepticons did not erase everything that we had taught you."

"What are you talking about?" Bumblebee queried. _Keep him talking; stall him for as long as possible._

"Why this of course," Silas gestured to the screen and a security tape feed starting playing. Bumblebee watched as the screen showed the scene showed him firing on the MECH soldier who had started to aim at Megatron. "Shall we watch it again?" Bumblebee inhaled as the scene was put on a loop and kept replaying over and over again. "You see, Stingray? See how you shoot him down without thinking? When people get in your way you kill them. Remember that soldier back at the second base I sent you to? Remember the look on his face when you killed him? He was in your way and _you_ killed him. You'll do it again and again and again. Why? Because we're the same, Stingray, we are MECH. We are the ones who will be standing at the end of the day, not those weak-minded fools! You belong here, Stingray, and they know it."

"You're wrong!" Bumblebee said. "I'm not like you, I'm not a soldier of MECH! They will come for me!"

"Will they?" Silas smirked. "If they valued you then why did they permit you to come along? Surely they must have known of everything you did for me, and my interest in you. If they really had cared why did they not protect you?"

_Don't listen to him_! Bumblebee admonished himself. Megatron had wanted to send him away, only Bumblebee's stubborn nature had kept him from being sent back to the _Nemesis_. _Do you really think a big mech like Megatron could be made to change his mind? If he had wanted to protect you he would have sent you back immediately, no matter your protests_.

"_Little scout? Are you there_?" Bumblebee nearly jumped out of his frame when Megatron's voice sounded in his audios. It silenced the voice of doubt in his processor and he gratefully welcomed it like a breath of fresh air. Bumblebee did not dare raise his hand to answer the com though, Silas was no fool after all and any plan he had would be set into motion that much faster if he knew the scout was talking to others of his kind. "_If you remember, failure to answer your com will result in a week of being restricted to no driving should you not have a reasonable explanation. I suggest, little scout, that you think of something very convincing_."

Bumblebee smiled, the mere act reminding him that he had the capacity to do so because of Megatron. It was Megatron who had rescued him, who had merged with him and restored his control over his own frame. The Decepticon leader had even gone out of his way to give Bumblebee his voice back, something that Megatron had been under no obligation to do. Sadly the scout had needed a reminder of everything the warlord had done for him to realize that he was still insecure, still not quite an adult. Now Megatron was coming for him, he was going save him once again.

Bumblebee looked at Silas, the fear gone from his optics. The shackles that Silas had tried to latch onto him by bringing up the horrors from his last imprisonment fell away into nothingness. The scout felt a surge inside him, a need to thumb it to the human that he had no power here, a cockiness Bumblebee had not felt in a long time welled up and demanded to be released.

"Come along, Stingray," Silas said, "stop wasting time hesitating when the decision is so clear." He held out his hand, "What do you say Stingray?"

Bumblebee glared, "My name is Bumblebee and I'm not going anywhere with you."

Silas chuckled, "What makes you think that you stop me?"

A quick cycle through Bumblebee's favorite songs quickly provided an appropriate comeback. "**Cause we'll put a boot in your***—"

"Fire!" Silas shouted.

The MECH soldiers who had been standing silently on the sides all leveled spear like guns at Bumblebee and pulled the triggers. Bumblebee did his best to dodge and bat the metal spears that came his way but there was nowhere to turn without putting himself into the path of more incoming projectiles. When the spear points punched through his armor Bumblebee noticed the long cables connecting to the metal shafts, he stumbled back from the impact and nearly toppled over. The spears were in his arms, legs and sides, the cable lines being pulled taut so that he could barely move a ped in either direction.

"Last chance, Stingray, come along quietly."

Bumblebee looked at Silas incredulously, what would it take to get through this numbskull's head? "**A natural loser, take it from me****!"

The Cybertronian had thought it impossible for Silas' face to get any uglier but there was the proof right before him. A dark thundercloud seemed to engulf Silas' face, his eyes angrier than a stormy sea and he looked at Bumblebee with such hatred that the scout briefly wondered if taunting him had been the best course of action. A hand motion from the head of MECH had Bumblebee screaming as high voltages of electricity ran down the cables and into his frame.

Bumblebee fell to his knees as he howled, using the action to bring his servos to his helm and hit his com button. He could not exactly function clearly enough to select the receiver so he just hoped that the call went to Megatron or someone else who was on the other side of the door.

"_Bumblebee_!" The scout knew the pain must have been getting to him to think that there was actually a note of panic in the Decepticon leader's voice. Warlords do not panic, especially not Megatron. "_What is happening_?"

"Such a pity," Silas said, letting the current die and watching Bumblebee's twitching frame on the floor. "I suppose I have no other choice but to download the slave code into you again."

"You will not take me!" Bumblebee shouted, as much an act of defiance to Silas as it was a roundabout way in answering Megatron's question without letting MECH know what was happening right under their noses.

"Who will stop me?" Silas asked. "Optimus Prime?" he mocked. "I watched him blunder his way through here, he must have sustained some kind of head damage the way he paused from time to time and went in circles. To see the mighty brought so low," Silas smiled, "it really warms my heart." He looked reflective for a moment, "Now Megatron, there's a strong individual, or he was until I saw him working with the Autobots. And to think that I had had ideas about joining him."

"_Keep him talking, little scout, we're on our way_."

Bumblebee grunted, not only to acknowledge Megatron's order but also because the cables starting reeling him in, his knees and hands scraping against the metal floor. "Why are you doing this?" Bumblebee asked, hoping that the movies did not lie and bad guys really did like to monologue.

"It's simple, Stingray," Silas said, walking along the platform he was on. "The human race will never amount to anything in this universe with a species such as yourself around. You are bigger, older and have a greater arsenal that no country on Earth could ever come close to coming to on their own. We haven't even managed to put a man on Mars yet! We're behind everyone else in the universe. If there are beings such as you then there are other species that will care nothing about taking what they want from our planet!"

"We haven't done anything to your kind!" Bumblebee argued.

"You brought your war here didn't you? Would you have managed to live in secret amongst us if we had been a universal power such as yourselves? We cannot survive if we remain such flimsy, small organic life forms. Our only option is to become like you, to limit our weaknesses and expand our lifecycles by taking on your likenesses. Sadly only a handful of humans will survive the process, those that are strong enough will become the future of our people, the other, less fortunate, will have given their lives for humanity to achieve greatness. This will be our new world order but it could not have come to fruition so quickly without the help of a transformer to gave us everything we needed to build our own exo-suits. Soon we will be able to fight your people on an equal footing."

A muffled explosion sounded against the door and hope sprang in Bumblebee's optics. "Hmm, it appears we have outstayed our welcome, soldiers. Call our friend and request a portal."

Bumblebee watched as a soldier went to a computer. He could not allow them to pull him through a ground bridge!

"Sir, I'm not receiving an answer."

When Silas turned to look at the soldier Bumblebee seized his chance. He quickly grabbed at the nearest spears and pulled them out as he jumped to his feet, a surge of electricity from the remaining cables caused him to fall to his knees again with a cry but he managed to prime his blasters and fire at the ceiling. Debris rained down on the humans, hitting some of those who were charging the electricity into him. His pain lessened, Bumblebee tore at the remaining spears while sending a few more blaster shots at the ceiling to keep the humans busy.

There was now a large indentation in the door and the explosions from the other room were getting louder. Bumblebee backed up from the door but kept his blasters charged at where the humans had been. He could not see Silas but the screen was sparking, casting eerie light flashes across the room.

When the door finally exploded Bumblebee breathed a sigh of relief. He watched the many Cybertronian hands that came through the opening to tear it wider. Megatron was the first through, his cannon fully charged and an angry expression on his faceplate that would have anyone smart enough running in the opposite direction. "Little scout?"

"I'm here," Bumblebee said, stepping out from his corner and immediately going to Megatron's side.

Megatron looked down at him, "If you ever leave my side again…" He left the sentence unfinished and Bumblebee nodded. "Now," Megatron's red optics looked about the room, "where is that sorry excuse for an intelligent life form?"

"Silas was over there," Bumblebee pointed to the rock covered platform and Megatron's optics narrowed. The small scout looked behind and saw Dreadwing and Orion Prime come through the wrecked door, several Vehicons looking curiously in after them.

Megatron walked over to the platform and started sifting through the debris with one hand while keeping his cannon up and ready. He gave a humorless chuckle after five minutes of searching and stepped back, signaling Bumblebee to come closer. The youngling stepped forward, coming to Megatron's side and looking down at what the Decepticon leader had discovered.

Silas lay amongst the broken rocks, specks of blood marking his lips and the corner of his mouth. His lower half was pinned under the debris, his gun out of his reach and he looked up at the towering mechs above him with undiminished hatred. He spat out some blood from his mouth, swallowing briefly before looking Megatron in the eye.

"Go ahead and kill me. You think that will stop MECH? Someone else will take my place, a little study of Earth history will show you that there will always be someone to pick up the pieces."

"Megatron," interjected Orion, "ask him please."

Megatron did not look back at Orion but he did measure Silas. "You have been betrayed, Silas. Your ally used you to deliver us a message and did not mind that we attacked you as a result. Will you name his location?"

Silas stared at him, his eyes calculating. "If you want Shockwave then look where you would not go."

"Silas—" Orion started forward but Megatron raised a hand to stop him.

"He had made his choice, let that be an end to it."

"So now you will execute him?" Orion asked, his voice sounding younger and less certain but Megatron paid this change no heed.

"His fate is not for me to decide." Megatron took a step back and looked at Bumblebee, "This is why you wanted to come, little scout, and here is your chance end the nightmares. No more fear, no more hiding from the shadows, it can all end right here." Megatron's optics stared at the scout while he circled the smaller mech, "Remember what he did to you, the people who died because of his mad schemes. His life is in your servos now, Bumblebee, as yours was in his not too long ago. Will you make him pay for the suffering you endured? Or will you make his ending quick and painless?'

Bumblebee stared at Megatron and then looked down at Silas. The human sneered at him, his visage hardening with his hatred. Bumblebee could see nothing but loathing from the man, no remorse or contrition for the pain he had caused the small scout.

He could not believe that Megatron had left this decision completely up to him! What did the warlord want him to do? What choice would he approve of? Bumblebee's fans kicked in, bringing a relief of cool air to help clear his heated circuitry and allow him to think.

Time passed and no one moved. All optics or eyes glued to the yellow and black mech who looked anything but sure of what he was going to do.

"You know the truth, Stingray," Silas whispered, "we both know what you are."

Bumblebee stepped forward, priming his blasters as his door wings straightened. He brought his weapon up to bear, pointing at blank range into the face of Silas.

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 17**

**Starscream – 9**

**Megatron - 5**

**Miko – 4**

**Soundwave – 4**

**Orion – 3**

**Raf – 3**

**mckeown – 3**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 6**

**Soundwave - 5**

**Knockout - 4**

**Blurr - 2**

**Megatron - 2**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 24**

**Autobots - 10**


End file.
